Prostitution

[ST88]

There are a number of places where prostitution is legal, such as the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and parts of Nevada. My experience is that a majority of Americans view it as a universally immoral act, and a sizable minority view it as a victimless crime.

Should prostitution be legal?

What are the societal implications of legalization?

Is prostitution wrong?
Please define or explain your sense of right and wrong if you choose to answer this.

[Cathar1950]

As I recall one of Jesus' relatives (ancestors) was a prostitute and one had to pretend she was one to get pregnant. Then he had an adulteress too.

is it still correct for us to be turning a beautiful thing into a commodity"sex, only so may dollars"-really civilised of us isn't it?

We buy art don't we? So of us even buy reproductions.

If she wants sex so badly,then we should be looking at why as opposed to allowing it. Its like telling someone who wants to kill some one else that "we will legalise it just because you want to do it."no regard for the greater society.

I think she wants money not sex. She is trying to make a living. Just like politicians where it is the customer doesn't get what they pay for.
It is hardly murder.

I may be able to resist and most likely all the people reading this , but will the sex mad generations coming be able to?

Despite your unfounded pessimism why do you think people are going to be any more sex mad in the future then they have been in the past?
I jus read that rape has gone down.

Allowing it will just lead to the mentality of "I want now, I get now" to be followed out further with devastating consequences for the future.

Where is your supply demand theory? Are you suggesting the destruction of the credit card and free enterprise?

[McCulloch]

1-the creation of women as sex objects (note the female prostitutes)
if women become sex toys, we are heading to even darker times then society is already in. Men will have no respect for women as they will be seen as "just another piece of skin which i can now pay money to get"

This argument could be used to outlaw anything which tends to portray women as sex objects.
However, is it necessarily true that hiring someone to perform a service objectifies them. Do I treat musicians as objects because I pay for their service?

2-Society will start to experience a moral degeneration as we have never seen before. As soon as you stat to put a price on the God given privilege of sexual intercourse, you stat to turn it into a commodity. "lets go buy some sex...."it will ultimately lead to people further losing the respect that we should have for the beautiful creation that God has given us. Once sex becomes a commodity, there will be little respect for it and all women become (linking back to the first point) is two boobs and a different set of genitals. nothing important. What message will that send to the youth? (especially your sexually longing teens)
Should we be breeding a society that is so bent on sex that it really becomes a degenerative society bent on as much frivolous pleasure as possible!!!???

Prostitution has been around longer than the Bible. Is there any evidence that increased prostitution leads to moral degeneration. Or more to the point, is there any evidence that legalization of prostitution leads to moral degeneration. I suspect that the reverse is true. Human societies seem to be incapable of removing prostitution. If it is not legalized then it must be carried on illegally. Illegal activity leads to further illegal activity, witness the American experiment with prohibition.

3-my next point is that "controlling the industry" as many people hope it will do will just leave more loopholes for trafficers to move around prostitutes. It will be like legalising trafficing or just making it easier if you falsify the documents to make them "legal" prostitutes. No government polices can outlaw this and I'm sure that most will focus on more pressing issues such as violent crimes. there wont be sufficient resources to guarantee industry control.also this won't lead in any way to the protection of prostitutes on the "job".

This seems to be an argument not to license or regulate any industry. Better not legalize booze, because there will still be the moonshiners up in the hills.

4-my last point before I move onto whether it is right or wrong is essentially asking the question of what legalising prostitution will indeed lead to next? Can't be anything overall constructive for society, can it be.

Why not?

Is prostitution right or wrong?
I firmly believe(as you have gathered by now) that it is indeed wrong.
Right being something that causes no harm to themselves/anyone else.
Wrong being that it does cause harm to themselves/any one else
It is thus clearly wrong because it not only harms the prostitutes(via sexually tramsmitted diseases etc) but also destroys our perception of sex(and mostly women becoming sex objets) and society's moral fibre.

My son will never be capable of having a mature interpersonal relationship. He is severely mentally handicapped. However, he is completely physically mature. He is in his twenties. He masturbates. He has to. He does not have the mental capability to understand sexual abstinence. He has had sexual counsellors who have taught him about hygiene and social correctness. He no longer strips naked in public and he will only masturbate in designated private places. He even cleans up.
What would be morally wrong with a professional sex worker providing him with the same sexual experiences that the rest of us take for granted? In what way would that destroy society's moral fibre?

[The Persnickety Platypus]

Isn't it curious how prostitution rates in the European welfare states (where the business is essentially legal) are considerably lower than in the United States?

As we speak, there are a million+ prostitutes conducting business within our borders. Each year we spend upwards of $10,000,000 making futile attempts to curb the practice (money that could be directed towards catching actual criminals).

I think the statistics speak for themselves. The best way to prevent prostitution is to create economic conditions where the practice is unnecissary. Come on, who honestly wakes up one day and decides they want to be a prostitute when they grow up?

There are three reasons people revert to selling sex:

- No jobs
- No money
- No opportunity

Sorry conservative America, more tax breaks for the rich is not going to cut it on this one. The government needs to divert it's attention from Hollywood and Boca Raton and focus on the lower class inner city for once (with more than a cop and a nightstick). We need family programs, social safety nets, and higher education all around the board.

What exactly is the reasoning for the criminalization of prostitution? Because God says sex is evil? Come off it.

[Cathar1950]

I have mentioned a few time that a few of David’s and Jesus’ ancestors were either prostitutes or had to pretend they were a prostitute to obey God’s laws.

Prostitution is a moneymaker. Not only for prostitutes but also for lawyers, police departments, and cities.
I wonder how many of the prostitutes and johns are either police or working for the police?
Fines are revenue.
Now there are always some family values people that think it destroys the family. I mean why should you buy the cow when you can rent the milk and drink it or something like that. I don’t know how to say it with out being sexist.
But women do it too. It is human.
But wives or significant others provide something hookers don’t provide for clients. Not with out costing more.
The Persnickety Platypus is right those tax brakes for the rich don’t help, they can already afford the high priced ones. They can even afford to get it free.
Good point McCulloch. I like art and sometimes I tip the waitress or the bartender.

[Vianne]

Should prostitution be legal? Yes, I think it should be. I think prostitutes should be protected under the law and be able to form unions, just like any other worker.

What are the societal implications of legalization? For one thing, the mysterious haze surrounding prostitution just might disappear, and along with it, some of our squeamishness about sex in general. A man or woman does have the right to express his or her sexuality as she chooses (provided all involved are consenting adults), and the law has no place in insisting that he or she have a relationship of some sort with a sexual partner. It is still less the law's business whether or not money is involved.

I believe that when society begins to view sex just as it is -- a physical need, the act of which can be performed with the greatest sanctity and devotion or simple business-like efficiency -- the rate of sexual crime will go down. As long as we continue to view sex as dirty, shocking, or otherwise a form of forbidden fruit, it will continue to create problems. Remove the taboo, remove much of the problem.

Is prostitution wrong? No. Prostitution simply capitalizes on a basic human instinct. That's it. However, I believe there are many prostitutes out there who are treated badly, or forced into the business, and that I do consider wrong. It's another reason to legalize it, thus protecting many of these people from abuse.