If a woman wants to trade
sexual favors for money, that should be her choice.
Going outside marriage to obtain sex,I think would be terribly wrong in most instances, but that should be left up to the individuals in the marriage.
What about the poor single guy/woman who cant get a date,?
The guy/woman inbetween relationships/marriage?
People get horny…natural basic fact.
Why is it the prostitute always ends up in jail
but the guy gets off scott free?
Why cant these “jobs” be government regulated like The Netherlands? You find very few instances of STD’s
over there.
What is the big deal ???
LOTS of questions but no real answers…
Dont get me wrong, wouldn’t do it, wouldn’t want anyone I know to do it… but
If a woman wants to prostitute herself, why is it so wrong?
Because they are easy low risk targets for police officers.
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I don’t know if there’s much of a correlation there. I don’t think most people in this country get STDs from prostitutes.
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A lot of people dislike the idea of selling sex. I myself dislike the idea even though I’m overwhelmingly in favor of decriminalizing prostitution. Mainly I believe that making prostitution illegal makes it more dangerous and steals the attention of law enforcement who have better things to believe in.
Less-short answer: It ain’t, but some people think it is.
Long answer: It ain’t, but I believe that, just like a legitimate business (hey, it’s still “trade”, right?), it should be subject to taxes and regulation.
Not to be a smart aleck, but I think that’s your answer. People are uncomfortable with having society sanction prostitution for the same reason you would be uncomfortable with having a friend or loved one who was a prostitute.
Thinking seriously, I see nothing wrong with legally regulated prostitution, at all.
On the more personal side of things, I refuse -except for one single instant in my life- to get papid-for sex, that would make me feel so unattractive…if you know what I mean.
But,IMHO, looking at prostitutes as indecent people is just plain stupid.
It’s just a trade, nobody is swindled, nobody is robbed, and as long as he/she does it on his/her own free will, nobody is hurt!!
One argument against prostitution says that it is wrong because the prostitutes are being exploited.
A counterargument is that they are not being exploited if they become prostitutes of their own free will. Outlawing prostitution does not eliminate it, it only makes it more dangerous for the prostitutes and increases the likelyhood that they will be coherced, abused, and victimized.
This seems reasonable enough, but I’m not convinced that it is actually true. Prostitution is legal in parts of Europe and Asia, but many women are still tricked or forced into working as prostitutes in these areas. The legality of prostitution has not protected them or their ability to make a free will choice in the matter.
It may be possible to set up a system of legalized prostitution that does not exploit the prostitute, but I do not believe that such a system currently exists anywhere on earth.
As to the OP comment about the women being the only ones arrested I am proud to say that the local St. Paul police department IS going after the men as well… and as part of their fight against prostitution even posts the offenders pictures up on their very own website. http://www.ci.saint-paul.mn.us/depts/police/prostitution.html
Their are a few reasons why prostitution is outlawed:
Old taboo that women are supposed to be pure, virtuous women and are not supposed to indulge in such acts as receiving payment for sexual favors. (Hardly applys today, but it is one reason why it began.)
To try and cut down on the spread of STD’s. In certain countries, prostitution is legal, but the women must have monthly check-ups and a list of all clients or they are not allowed to work their trade.
When it comes down to it, what is the difference between giving sexual favors for money and giving sexual favors for “gifts”? Look at how many men and women partake of sugar-daddies and mommies, but it is not considered illegal since it is not prostitution. What about a masseus (if it is misspelled, well then sue me)? Isn’t that person giving physical pleasure to others through payment? But the 2 above reasons do not come into effect in this career, so it is not illegal.
Honestly, I do not think that prostitution is such a bad thing. It is one of the oldest professions known to us and can easily be regulated if the thought applied to those in power.
Whether prostitution is wrong or not is a moral question and can only be answered by opinion.
I think what you mean is why is prostitution illegal?
BIG difference.
There are a lot of things that are wrong but legal there are also a lot that are illegal but not wrong. Basically prostitution is illegal because we are stuck with a lot of laws that made sense 100 or 150 years ago. If there isn’t a huge ground swell of protest over these laws then they stay on the books.
Heck here in the great state of Michigan a marriage is only legal if it is performed by a “minister of the Gospel.” Sorry all of you Jews, Hindus, Muslims, etc. running around Michigan who think they are legally married.
Fortunately this is one of many laws that are on the books that are just not enforced. Here in Michigan we have other laws with basically the same penalties as for prostitution that say it is unlawful to have sex with your wife unless you use the missionary position and NOTHING ELSE. The law specifies jail time for offenders I believe. Interestingly this applies only to the husbands. I guess the wife gets to be as inventive as she wants as long as it is not with her husband. Although then she would fall under the adultery laws which are also still on the books and which also specify jail time.
Needless to say none of these laws has been enforced in my lifetime.
The prostitution laws are not any different than any of these except that they are still enforced. They are the fossilized remains of 19th century neo-puritanism.
I agree with the majority of this thread when I think that it should be leagal in every way. I also agree that the government should regulate it very strictly because of all the STDs out there. Now, I am pretty sure that in Dallas and in Las Vega it is legal. Many simple liquor shops and tobbacco shops have the brochures and flyers in the front like a normal grocery store has yard sales ads in the front of their stores.
Actually, my town has just passed local ordinances severely curtailing the activities of massage therapists, including a prohibition on mixed-gender massage sessions and lots of restrictions on the hours, location, etc.
Truly, there are a lot of “massage” brothels around here, and the purpose of the councilmen is to force them elsewhere, but most people here find these measures completely ridiculous (and harmful to plenty of folk who just want the massage).
Of course, as far as I’m concerned, nothing should be illegal between informed, consenting adults (except in rare cases where one is likely to end up dead without sufficient evidence to prove it was consensual/informed).
We had some of the same problems when some of the massage parlors would give a little bit more of a rub down if the guy rolled over onto his back with some extra money in hand.
And the reason you would be uncomfortable would probably be because we have grown up in a world where prostitution is wrong/illegal/a bad thing. If we had grown up in a world where prostitution was considered a legitimate job for any person with the inclination, how differently would we feel about it?
Why not take a look at a story in the UK just recently.
Seems that illegal immigrants who are being living in state accommodation have been dissappearing whilst wiating for their asyloum applications to be dealt with.
A number of them have dissappeared and it had been thought that these women had hidden in the genral population.
Police investigations have revealed that in fact most of those who did vanish have been abducted and sold into sexual slavery in Europe, after all who was likely to go lookin for them ?
Prostitution is often not a voluntary thing, it soon involves organised crime, exploitation of minors,the desparation of vulnerable individuals especially those who have a drug problem.
I wonder what percentage of prostitutes actually volunteered to work in this sex industry and what percentage were the victims of circumstance.
The moral argument about prostitution to me is less about sex and more about the exploitation of one person by another, not just the punter but the pimp, the drug dealer and the whole nasty little circle of parasites that use the prostitute.
Not to be picking nits, but if it isn’t voluntary, it isn’t prostitution. It’s organized rape.
Very good point, and the best possible argument for legalization. If prostitution were treated as the fundamentally harmless profession that it truly is, and prostitutes were treated with the dignity and consideration they deserve, then the nasty circle of parasites and the dirt they drag in with them wouldn’t be such a problem. It’s kind of a catch-22.
Question for the group: does anyone know the real difference between decriminalization and legalization? Doesn’t one or the other entail regulation?
Oh, and SPOOFE: my stepmom, when she was Working, always paid her taxes and on the line describing her profession, wrote “prostitution”. The IRS, god love 'em, and you know I do, never said a word. I imagine they were just happy to get the dough.
As for the OP, prostitution is illegal in most parts of the U.S. only because of prevailing local mores. If you want it legalized, join one of the many organizations which fight for legalization, start an initiative petition, or run for public office. As soon as the majority in your community want it legalized, it can be.