I saw an episode concerning this question on Penn and Teller's Showtime show recently. I wonder if A) it does any real good to make prostitution illegal since if it's illegal those who practice it can't be protected by regulations or the law and B) if in a 'free' country it is even ethical to make it illegal it in the first place less

I saw an episode concerning this question on Penn and Teller's Showtime show recently. I wonder if A) it does any real good to make prostitution illegal since if it's illegal those who practice it can't be protected by regulations or the law and B) if in a 'free' country it is even ethical to make it illegal it in the first place less

If a man or a woman wants to pay a man or a woman to leave after sex, so be it. It's his/her money and his/her body. The government, outside of requiring testing and other safety measures needs to step the hell out of it.



It's extremely hypocritical for politicians in Washington to decry prostitution as a valid service when they themselves use our tax money via their salary for the same services. less

I saw an episode concerning this question on Penn and Teller's Showtime show recently. I wonder if A) it does any real good to make prostitution illegal since if it's illegal those who practice it can't be protected by regulations or the law and B) if in a 'free' country it is even ethical to make it illegal it in the first place less

The government proved during the Civil War that legalizing prostitution promoted safer sex practices, kept the ladies and gents safer, and dropped the level of STDs contracted to near negligible levels. So many people believe that the war was both won and lost because of starvation but the sad truth is that syphilis and gonorrhea claimed many more lives than starvation...and at one point more than bullets!
When the government stepped in and forced bawdy houses to promote condom use and doctor visits for both the prostitutes AND the paying customers the STD rate plummeted. The prostitutes were no longer badly treated by their Madames and the wages they earned were regulated by the government...and medical care came out of their checks (so to speak). The prostitutes were happy with the arrangement, the Madames were happy as were local townsfolk. The Temperance Society, however, was not and after the war forced prostitution to be criminalized regardless of the lessons learned.

Things went back to the way they were before the government stepped in and regulated everything. So yeah I am all for decriminalization and regulation. Let's put the sex trade slavers out of business...make it a real career, and get some sanity. If we can't put the bastards out of business then we can hurt them really badly while protecting the people who wish to sell and those who wish to buy. less

I saw an episode concerning this question on Penn and Teller's Showtime show recently. I wonder if A) it does any real good to make prostitution illegal since if it's illegal those who practice it can't be protected by regulations or the law and B) if in a 'free' country it is even ethical to make it illegal it in the first place less

Hell no. Making prostitution legal is the same as saying human trafficking is ok. I disagree. There are problems already with people not going to get tested regularly and those people sometimes carry disease anyways to other people. Prostitution will not change that, nor should paying someone to have sex with you. It would bring a whole new problem to light: Should you buy a human being under any circumstance? For me, by saying yes it would be no different than slavery. So no.
* To the user who asked what's the difference between paying for a prostitute and a webcam girl, the difference is 1) Safety and 2) Service in accomplice with government laws. Thank you! less

There is a big difference between voluntary prostitution/escorting and human sex trafficking. It's all about consent. Following your reasoning, you could also say that making employment legal is the same as saying forced labor is okay. Do you see what I mean? The fact that people are sometimes forced into doing something doesn't mean that people who choose to do that thing, voluntarily, who are good at it and want to earn a living doing it, should be prevented by law from doing so.

Selling sexual services is not the same as selling a human being. If it were, then paying someone for a massage or any other physical service would also be "buy[ing] a human being." less

It most certainly would not. I don't see what you mean. In my response, I want to let you know that I'm not attacking you or anyone's opinion, ok? : D
Following my example I state the following which I will provide research for at a later time: The same as the webcam girl, that person is providing a risk free service. Prostitutes are in danger when they provide a service. Prostitues do provide a service for another person outside of themselves i.e a pimp. I beg you to find the nearest prostitute and ask him/ her if they actually wake up in the morning satisfied with their career choice. Ask them how many times do they (realistically) "consent" to having sex and listen carefully to the answers. Just because you take off your clothes and lay down to have sex DOES NOT mean you consent to it. The act is soley for the money.
Until you have spoken to several prostitutes and record the answers, take on the career, or do some research too it would almost be impossible to claim that prostitution is consentual. Besides, the main reason that prostitution is illegal isn't just for the risk factors. It is illegal because the money from prostitution usually doesn't go to the prostitute (the person providing the service) directly, but rather a "master" source which is similar to slavery.
And if being legal was the case, the prostitutes would work in an industry that has moniteration of the service that follows the law, such as being an escort or a webcam girl/guy.
Thank you for the response.
-Panda Dearest less

I saw an episode concerning this question on Penn and Teller's Showtime show recently. I wonder if A) it does any real good to make prostitution illegal since if it's illegal those who practice it can't be protected by regulations or the law and B) if in a 'free' country it is even ethical to make it illegal it in the first place less