Split Thread Legality of Prostitution

Because god botherers think sex is icky, and legalising prostitution grants power to women, and weakens controls on human sexuality, both of which are a big no-nos to the god botherers.
 
lionking said:
Making it legal (as it is in Australia) means it is safer for both sex workers and clients. Prostitution might not be a wonderful career choice, and probably wouldn't exist in an ideal world, but it won't go away. Why make criminals of sex workers?


Discussion split from this thread, where it was off-topic.
Posted By: zooterkin
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There's more to it than that. I think it could be a wonderful service for those who just can't find romance.

I can imagine some poor guy with a horrible studdering problem and girls just don't give him the time of day. He can pay for companionship. I say the immorality lies in forcing people who need company to be alone.

I don't think prostitution should be limited to just sex. I think someone should be able to pay to cuddle someone and watch a movie on their birthday.

My ideal image of legal prostitution would be having people with excellent social skills provide companionship and intimacy. Of course we have to break down so many stigmas associated with sex, but it would be an awesome thing to see.

Something sort of between a Geisha and a high class escort with a sprinkle of counselor or therapist.
 
Just to lob my $.02 over the fence:

If one finds somethiung immoral, should one not simply abstain from the act oneself?

All too often, "moral sensibilities" result in laws designed to make those people stop doing that nasty thing. If one's "moral sensibilities" are offended by legalized, licensed, consensual sex-for-hire, isn't the proper moral stance to simply abstain?
 
My 2c...

When the person receiving money for sex is doing so willingly and is aware of the possible consequences to their physical and mental health then I have no problem whatsoever with prostitution.

I have a problem where participants have been coerced into prostitution by others or have been forced into prostitution through economic necessity or drug and/or alcohol dependence. There are also the major issues of people trafficing and criminal gangs but some of this may go if prostitution is legal.
 
The Don said:
My 2c...

When the person receiving money for sex is doing so willingly and is aware of the possible consequences to their physical and mental health then I have no problem whatsoever with prostitution.

I have a problem where participants have been coerced into prostitution by others or have been forced into prostitution through economic necessity or drug and/or alcohol dependence. There are also the major issues of people trafficing and criminal gangs but some of this may go if prostitution is legal.
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That's pretty much how I feel about the matter.

As long as people are fully aware when going into it, I think it's fine. Their body, their choice.
 
marplots said:
You are requesting I explain moral judgements?
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I would think that they are based on reason, not emotion, so yeah.

If you are a moral person, you already know as much as I do. If you are not a moral person, I can't think of a way to explain it. Not that someone couldn't, but I can't.
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In other words, if you already know, I can't explain it to you. If you don't, I can't explain it to you.

I don't think this is a very efficient way to communicate. Perhaps if you can't explain it, you should rethink your position.
 
Rasmus said:
But that isn't even a feature or aspect of prostitution.

I'd feel moral outrage if people were coerced into becoming bakers or bank clerks or taxi drivers, too.

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But there is a huge difference. When people are forced ETA (in many countries in which prostitution is illegal) by destitution to become taxi drivers, bank clerks, or sweatshop workers, they can still go to the police a be taken seriously when they report a rape or other crime of violence. They can still find a spouse from as large a pool of people as they could before being forced into that job. There are other differences as well, but the point of my post was merely to disagree with Marplot's quoting the Pope. As I said in most of my earlier posts, I believe that prostitution between consenting adults in most modern societies is moral and that there is no reason to outlaw it.
 
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Being immoral is not a sufficient reason to make something illegal. The morality of murder, robbery, assault, rape, etc is irrelevant -those things cause harm to others. In the case of prostitution, if two people decide to engage in sex it really doesn't matter how that consent was arrived at; consensual sex is not harmful. So I don't think there is a basis for making prostitution illegal on any kind of harm basis.
 
marplots said:
An activity or person who disgusts the moral senses, generally personally perceived (and labeled) as wrong, evil, or harmful in an ongoing and fundamental way.

Does that work?
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Needed fixt.
Some of the sex workers I know are have been tested and categorized as "unemployable" by the state.
What are they to do, to stay alive?
 
If (insert favorite yucky thing) is yucky for you, don't do it.
But don't force your yuck-phobia on others through law, if it's consensual with the participants.
 
The Don said:
My 2c...

When the person receiving money for sex is doing so willingly and is aware of the possible consequences to their physical and mental health then I have no problem whatsoever with prostitution.

I have a problem where participants have been coerced into prostitution by others or have been forced into prostitution through economic necessity or drug and/or alcohol dependence.
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How about if people are so desperate for money that they take a job cleaning the bathrooms at McDonald's? They would be "forced" into taking that type of job out of "economic necessity." If that is so, does that mean that you would have a problem with cleaning bathrooms at McDonald's as a living?

Jeez, doesn't pretty much everyone take a job out of "economic necessity"? And we take jobs that we can do and make money from them. Why is "flipping burgers" ok but "having sex" is not?
 
The Don said:
My 2c...

When the person receiving money for sex is doing so willingly and is aware of the possible consequences to their physical and mental health then I have no problem whatsoever with prostitution.

I have a problem where participants have been coerced into prostitution by others or have been forced into prostitution through economic necessity or drug and/or alcohol dependence. There are also the major issues of people trafficing and criminal gangs but some of this may go if prostitution is legal.
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Interestingly, most of the admonitions in Holy Writ are not "stop them from doing this morally repugnant thing", but rather "stop us from doing this morally repugnant thing, even though they are doing it."
 
The Greater Fool said:
Interestingly, most of the admonitions in Holy Writ are not "stop them from doing this morally repugnant thing", but rather "stop us from doing this morally repugnant thing, even though they are doing it."
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Which does not seem to require, and therefore does not justify, passing a law agin it...
 
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Slowvehicle said:
Which does not seen to require, and therefore does not justify, passing a law agin it...
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More to the point, it seems to say don't bother passing a law against it, as we do the right thing anyhow, and we don't really care if they do the right or wrong thing (we already know their judgement).

When folks use "Obey god's law rather than men's law", its usually an excuse to disobey men's law, when in reality it is was more along the lines of "We dont' care what men's law allows, we follow god's law, which is a narrower path."
 
The Don said:
My 2c...

When the person receiving money for sex is doing so willingly and is aware of the possible consequences to their physical and mental health then I have no problem whatsoever with prostitution.

I have a problem where participants have been coerced into prostitution by others or have been forced into prostitution through economic necessity or drug and/or alcohol dependence. There are also the major issues of people trafficing and criminal gangs but some of this may go if prostitution is legal.
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Surely that applies to absolutely any job, not just prostitution?
 
We've always had that image of the prostitute as the street walker, the call girl, a girl at the bunny ranch but I think the vast majority of what can be defined as prostitution is the woman trading sex for her rent, or to get her brakes fixed.
 
kedo1981 said:
We've always had that image of the prostitute as the street walker, the call girl, a girl at the bunny ranch but I think the vast majority of what can be defined as prostitution is the woman trading sex for her rent, or to get her brakes fixed.
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That may be one of the most sexist things I've ever read.
 
marplots said:
1) No, I would not equate prostitution with murder - save for this dimension: they are both illegal based on moral outrage by those who are empowered to make laws against them.
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This is actually incorrect. Murder is illegal not because it is morally outrageous, but rather for the fact that no-one wants someone else to murder them. We put the law in place because we deem our own right to life to be precious and thus have created a law against someone taking away that right. It has nothing to do with morality.
 
kedo1981 said:
We've always had that image of the prostitute as the street walker, the call girl, a girl at the bunny ranch but I think the vast majority of what can be defined as prostitution is the woman trading sex for her rent, or to get her brakes fixed.
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A guy I knew worked at a hardware store... a lady bought a fixture, and he asked her "Screw for it?"... and she said "No, I'll pay cash."
 
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