On The Morality Of Prostitution.

Prostitution, perhaps the world's oldest profession. Men like sex. women like money. When the two meet up is it little wonder that a transaction is made?

Now I am not going to comment on the details of my past *ahem* indiscretions. But I am of the opinion that if an consenting adult provides a *ahem* adult service for another consenting adult (or five) then it really not any one's business save the tax department.

But it's not really something that people are comfortable with. We live in a society where the word Whore is used as in insult and not as a career choice. Sex is seen by many (of various political and religious views) as something so personal and intimate that to place a monetary value of it is inherently wrong.

edited 19th Feb '11 1:23:18 AM by joeyjojo

This post was thumped by the Stick of Post Thumping

This post was thumped by the Shillelagh of Whackingness

This post was thumped by the Merciless Hammer of Doom

^No

On topic:

Why should anyone care, as long as everyone's willing, no one gets hurt, and no one comes away with a nasty STD surprise?

edited 19th Feb '11 1:30:01 AM by Acebrock

And I worked so hard on checking the body work for errors before I posted... :'(

Sometimes, it's not a moral issue, but a necessity. Some women think they have no choice but to be in the profession. Others are, sadly, forced into it.

And in some cases, those dangerous and nasty situations are exactly the reason why more regulation might make the job a little less dangerous.

After all, pornography is essentially the same thing, with more regulation.

And I mildly suggest that instead of removing the second "The" from the title, that someone might just ad an "s" at the end of "Prostitution"

Over here, as long as they pay taxes and don't get involved in slave trade or child pornography everybody is happy. Funny thing is, one of the reasons to move the business from the grey areas into legalisation was human trafficking and legalisation made it easier to indentify the businesses involved since the rest is legal and paying taxes. =)

If no one is being forced? No shame or problem in an honest day'snight's work.

Prostitution, I'm not sure about. Pimping, on the other hand, is deeply worrying, and will exist whether prostitution is legal or not. Thus, I think prostitution should be legal, but brothels should only be legal if they exist as workers' cooperatives.

edited 19th Feb '11 6:44:28 AM by HughMan

I think prostitution should be legalized as long as it is regulated. Obviously, protection should be used. Otherwise, I have no problem with it morally or whatever.

Tougher question: what about prostitutes hiring security/bodyguards.

On one hand, this would be great protection from rapists and violent johns. On the other hand, this counts as someone "profiting off of sex workers" which is why it's illegal in many part of Canada now. While this is a deplorable law that results in prostitutes not being able to legally hire the most basic security to protect themselves, it does make sense in a twisted way: pimps could theoretically rebrand themselves as "security consultants" and be off scot-free.

Your thoughts?

Sounds like a swell idea....and re: the sneaky pimps, wouldn't the prozzies have to veto said guards first?

Well, emotional abuse and blackmail and sex slavery and whatever. I said "in theory"; it's not a very good objection, but it's what's trotted out whenever sex workers want to hire bodyguards, and it would disappear if the sex industry was fully legalized and regulated.

If it was regulated and unionized, I think it could be a good and willing business that would kill the market for pimps and human trafficking to a good sized degree.

Shit, I'd use it.

I think legalisation and regulation is better than prohibition on this issue for the following reasons.

1: You can police things better out in the open, and that means more protection for the prostitutes from both their customers and bosses.

2: It opens the subject up from behind closed doors, meaning people can debate it far more frankly, and from both sides of the table. It also removes the stigmatisation and shame from those practicing the profession, allowing a look at their circumstances (and spectrum of circumstances) far more objectively.

3: Finally, the laws against prostitution haven't exactly stopped prostitution, and there are other things we need police time for. This wouldn't be a reason if it wasn't for reasons 1 and 2, but taken in conjunction with them, its a powerful argument.

edited 19th Feb '11 9:51:11 AM by GameChainsaw

As someone in Law Enforcement, I feel justified in saying that it would make policing this industry much easier, less time consuming, and overall more effective than the way things are currently done.

Plus, poon On-Demand, and tax money my state sorely needs.

So I am the only one who opposes prostitution and wishes it to stay illegal (moral and religious reasons). Interesting.

edited 19th Feb '11 11:58:36 AM by Chagen46

@Barkey: Agreed. "Legalize & regulate" seems to work a lot better than "proscribe & prosecute". And having known a few sex workers in my time, most of them would prefer protection under the law to what's currently around.

@Chagen: keeping it illegal helps nothing and no one. The only reasons I've ever heard are (as you have said) moral, and by extension illogical. Looking down on sex workers for their chosen vocation is IMO more morally reprehensible than participating in it.

@Thread: the problem isn't sex for money. The problem is the violence, victimization and gang behavior that the illicit sex trade creates. Rather like the drug trade, really.

We aren't going to make the oldest profession in the world disappear by proscribing it.

The oldest profession in the world is hunting and gathering.

"Prohibition doesn't stop illicit acts, so we might as well make it legal" isn't really a valid conclusion. We prohibit all kinds of things that aren't really stopped.

Furthermore, legalizing something creates loopholes that can be exploited legally while still creating negative effects, and there's always a "don't get caught" mentality even within public businesses. I wouldn't expect people forced into prostitution to be a whole lot better off than before.

Yes it is a valid conclusion; a law that can't be enforced is not a law at all. So we might as well admit it instead of wasting money and police time failing to enforce it.

edited 19th Feb '11 12:22:21 PM by BlackHumor

"Prohibition doesn't stop illicit acts, so we might as well make it legal" isn't really a valid conclusion. We prohibit all kinds of things that aren't really stopped.

It may not seem that way, but history bears it out to be true. Classic example; Prohibition.

Making booze illegal did not stop people from drinking; it created a whole new class of criminal, gave the Sicilian Mafia a foothold in America, turned a petty thug into the de facto mayor of Chicago (Al Capone, natch) and did not put a noticeable dent in America's alcohol consumption.

If there is a demand, supply-side prohibition has never been effective. If the want exists, someone will figure out a way to fill it no matter how many hurdles are in place to prevent it. A more general way to express my concept is "you can't fight human nature, but you can compromise with it."

People want drugs. They want sex. They want booze. Making these things illegal will not make them disappear. Instead it just creates a new class of lawbreaker.

@Pykrete: But also, how many of the prostitutes that are "stuck" in abusive cycles can't break out of it because they'll get arrested if they go to the cops? While legalization can lead to loophole abuse, keeping it illegal is also being manipulated by abusive pimps who go "You can't go to the cops and say I'm treating you badly, because then you're going with me."

As I mentioned before, something being impossible to stop via law isn't a reason to legalise it in and of itself, but when you could engage with the problem in a constructive manner via legalising the activity, then being unable to stop it by prohibition becomes a good argument for legalisation and engagement with the problem.