Now now! I didn’t say anything about demonstration being required or having to pass a ‘test’ 
I personally learned from documents written on fellatio by gay men (who know both sides of the story)
It’s now on my list of things to do in the 21st century - visit Kabukicho, Tokyo.
What’s wrong with riding a motorcycle with no helmet?
You are, after all, only risking your own safety.
What’s wrong with selling your kidney to the highest bidder? It is, after all, your organ.
The criminalization of prostitution is justified by the same basic rationale, I think, as the motorcycle helmet laws: it’s society’s place to proect its citizens, even if they don’t always wish to be protected. And to some extent it’s analogous to the laws against trafficing in human organs: we hold certain things, as a society, to be more than mere organic compounds, and human bodies, whther piecemeal or whole, for sale or rent, fall into that category.
Prostitution’s ills include potential for disease, potential for coercion, and the fact that other crime seems to follow prostitution. It’s a matter of some debate of how legalization would remove those ills. In Nevada, where certain counties permit legalized prostitution, there is still illegal prostitution. It seems likely that even if there were a legalized version, there would be women unable to compete in the legal arena who would still offer their services, creating a black market.
Some of it, then , is a value judgement. And some of it is an implementation of what’s seen as the legitimate role of goverment in society.
- Rick
This article argues that prostitution inherently victimizes women.
I don’t have any facts and figures. It’s plausible that in reality most prostitution may badly victimize women, albeit with some exceptions.
Just wanted to let you know that someone caught the DLR reference.
Ah, good. I was getting worried!
[btw, did you see your praise thread?]
Que?
Well, there is always a potential for a black market in any regulated and/or taxed industry (and that means every industry). There still are moonshiners out there. When taxes and regulation increase the cost, there will be people willing to risk criminal sanction to undercut the market.
But because some people create counterfeit replacement parts for jet engines doesn’t mean we outlaw replacement parts or jet engines.
As for Nevada, I don’t think we even get to that point. The Nevada rules, which include severe restrictions on advertising, barring brothels from most of the major population centers, and limiting the licenses granted for brothels, severely limit the number of legal prostitutes accessible (as it were) to potential customers. Since the legal market doesn’t come close to meeting the demand, illegal prostitution remains, without pricing coming into play (I would actually expect illegal prostitutes in Nevada to charge more than the legal prostitutes, because of only limited legal competition and the increased risks illegal prostitutes run).
Sua
[Hereby Ending The Hijack]
Found it. Of course, the dancing girls, the bottle of whiskey, and the suitbase full of money are all gone by now. 
[/HETH]
Actually, december, the article you linked doesn’t “argue” anything. It concludes that legalized prostitution is bad, without even making an argument to support the conclusion. The only anecdote it provided to “support” its position was an instance of illegal prostitution.
Sua
Get rid of the pimps. Get rid of the child prostitutes. Get rid of the forced prostitution, drugged up prostitution, diseased prostitutes.
But legalize it. Why? There are a number of women out there who are doing nothing more than providing a service for their clients. They aren’t forced into anything. They do it because they like the money, the clients enjoy it, and they enjoy it. Yes, prostitutes can not only enjoy what they do but actually wish to do it over any other profession they could choose.
For those people, no one gets harmed. There is no crime. It doesn’t even take place in a brothel or “in your neighborhood.” It’s like a home business!
One thing that has always amazed me is that a woman can fuck a man for money, videotape it, and sell the video, and that’s legal. But if she’s doing the same thing without videotaping it, it’s illegal. Something’s not right there!!
The idea of prostitution is a little distasteful to me, but, except in cases like those where young girls are being coerced, it really is a victimless crime. I say, legalize it and make 'em pay taxes!
How many here would say these things without the annonimity of an internet message board? I mean who here would walk into their city council meeting and stand up and say ‘legalize prostitution’.
Because it seems obvious to me that the majority of us believe that so why in a democracy don’t we have it.
Zebra, I don’t think a self-selected group of internet junkies provides a valid sample set to draw conclusions about the majority of Americans.
As for why it is still criminal, it’s not a “buzz issue.” I’ll go to a city hall meeting and stand up and say “legalize prostitution!” What I will not do, however, is vote for or against a candidate on this issue alone. And I doubt there are many who will.
And longstanding taboos don’t get overthrown in this country until they become passionate enough that they encourage single-issue voters.
Sua
Or until the initiative process becomes more widespread. This allows people to vote on single issues rather than only on candidates with broad principles.