Prostitution: should it be legal or not?

[Disgustipated]

ahh, but prostitution doesn't promote sexuality, hormones do. I think we can blame god for that. I can't think of a more religious activity than having sex. For me, sex is a religious experience. I feel closer to god doing it. I'm connecting in a very personal way with one of god's creations. Sex is my religion.

 

[carmen510]

So it is capitalism to close down markets that do not align with one's viewpoints?

I never claimed humans were always consistent in their actions, motivations, or thoughts.

 

[Formaldehyde]

As Disgustipated pointed out earlier, illegal prostitition is rampant in Las Vegas.

This means that everybody involved is corrupt at least to some extent, from the local police and the local government officials who get paid to look the other way, to the casinos and hotels which must cater to the demand or risk offending their customers. It also means there is a vast criminal empire which generates large profits that typical end up going to prominent locals who command a large amount of power and control.

It also means that nobody is really safe, from the prostitutes who run much greater risk of being hurt, or even killed, to the customers who run the same risks themselves. They both are also much more susceptible to disease and are even the occasional victims of police stings, which are necessary now and then to show that the police aren't completely corrupt.

It also dramatically drives up the price because there is so much risk and graft involved.

And this isn't just confined to Las Vegas. Nearly every single city in the US has the same problems, albeit typically on a smaller scale.

Making prostitution illegal hasn't stopped it any more than prohibition stopped Americans from drinking. It just helps make a few prominent families filthy rich.

 

[Souron]

I think it would be safer for the prostitutes in general, though. Now if they get beaten or hurt they have nowhere to go except maybe their pimps (who might've hit them in the first place) or their family and friends, but imagine if they could go to a place that's community-supported that could actually get them help.

I think that the goal of giving abused prostitutes a place to go can be done without legalizing brothels.

 

[JollyRoger]

Abused prostitutes can currently turn themselves in and go to jail. Free food and shelter and a place where the abusers can't get to you. If you legalize prostitution, you take that option off the table.

 

[Mango Elephant]

I think that the goal of giving abused prostitutes a place to go can be done without legalizing brothels.

What's wrong with legalizing brothels?

 

[Souron]

actually the reason why bad brothels (and pubs, restaurants) exist is because not everyone has the same disposable income. Simply put, poor people cannot afford the good whores.

I really feel it's immoral to outlaw prostitution. The simple fact is there are guys out there that can't get laid. I used to be one of them. I have this really silly theory you guys will laugh at. I feel that when there is a lot of sexual frustration and repression men get really violent and crazy. I'm telling you, if that guy in the recent Tuscon shooting was getting it regularly, he wouldn't have been so inclined to shoot up a whole bunch of people.

By bad brothels I was referring to to brothels that enslave their women, not brothels with ugly women.

There are not accurate statistics on the amount of sex trafficking in the US, but it is very real and I think legalizing brothels would only add to that.

 

[Souron]

What's wrong with legalizing brothels?

Although some women may benefit from "having a place to go", I think that the increase in the market due to legalization would result in more women who are trafficked who will not receive those benefits and need them.

 

[Disgustipated]

By bad brothels I was referring to to brothels that enslave their women, not brothels with ugly women.

There are not accurate statistics on the amount of sex trafficking in the US, but it is very real and I think legalizing brothels would only add to that.

There are no women enslaved in Nevada brothels. Unless of course your some kind of commie who thinks all work is slavery.

But there are women that may be enslaved in illegal prostitution in Las Vegas in massage parlors, or illegal brothels.

 

[JollyRoger]

So legalizing brothels will increase the demand for illegal brothels?

 

[Gustave5436]

I prefer the middle ground option: legal to engage in prostitution, illegal to solicit it. Punish the exploiters, not the exploited.

 

[JollyRoger]

So it should be legal to sell but you want to make it illegal to buy?

 

[Souron]

So legalizing brothels will increase the demand for illegal brothels?

It will increase demand for all brothels. The illegal practices can be hidden from the consumer.

 

[Disgustipated]

So legalizing brothels will increase the demand for illegal brothels?

no, the only reason we have illegal one's are the legal one's are 60 miles away over the mountain. although u will most likely always have some illegal prostitution in crack houses etc.

 

[JollyRoger]

It will increase demand for all brothels. The illegal practices can be hidden from the consumer.

The consumers that woud be causing the increase in demand will likely go to legal brothels. An illegal brothel will have to operate in some degree of secrecy to avoid being shut down by the authorities.

 

[Souron]

I prefer the middle ground option: legal to engage in prostitution, illegal to solicit it. Punish the exploiters, not the exploited.

I agree with this principle, but I worry about loopholes.

 

[Brohz]

If I was a girl, I would not be a prositute. However, if some people needed the cash, or even wanted to prusue the career in some strange, sick way, then let them. If some people are desperate to pay for sex, I don't see any probelm besides their inability to get laid.

Why does one have to be desperate to pay for sex?

Apart from the old "you are paying one way or the other", getting laid without for free does NOT guarantee good sex, but there are very good escorts that will provide it.

It is not the prostitution what is bad, but the human trafficking, sexual abuse, savery, etc. what is, and all that is a result of it being illegal.

Anyway, many women that work as escorts (with good,healthy and legal working conditions) enjoy themselves because they like the sex (yes women enjoy sex too) and can choose their clients.

 

[useless]

I see nothing wrong with this, as long as there are rules, that it is regulated i don't see the problem

 

[warpus]

Look at it this way: if it's legal to pay someone to have sex with them and film it, why should it be illegal to.. do the same thing without a video camera?

 

[Elrohir]

I think it depends on what you mean by "prostitution," "should," and "legal."

If by prostitution you mean the simple exchange of money for sex, then no, I don't think that should be necessarily illegal, even though I do think it's immoral. But I think it's perfectly valid for people indirectly affected to protest -- so you can't run a prostitution business out of your house if the neighborhood protests, no bordellos if the community protests, etc. Brothels tend to be rather seedy, and I think it's perfectly legitimate to regulate or ban their placement. But the simple exchange of sex for something of monetary value? That's pretty much impossible to effectively ban, and I'm not sure that we reasonably can if we're going to allow most pornography to be created, as well. (Porn made by people who aren't being paid evades this rule, of course. So we could ban commercial pornography and be consistent with anti-prostitution laws -- hmm. Now there's an idea....)