Should prostitution be legal?
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Should prostitution be legal?
| Tue, 08-31-2004 - 1:19pm |
Should prostitution be legal?
- Yes
- No
You will not be able to change your vote.
| Tue, 08-31-2004 - 1:19pm |
You will not be able to change your vote.
Leticia
I voted 'yes'. I think it's wierd that it's illegal to sell something that you can give away. Having said 'yes' though, I believe that the industry should be HIGHLY regulated by the state government and the energy and resources currently used to control adult prostitution should be funneled into completely completely destroying teen and child prostitution. I think the penalty for adults that solicite children should be severe.
Peace.
Scott.
if pornography meets the following definition of obscenity it is illegal:
(a) whether "the average person, applying contemporary community standards" would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest
(b) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law; and
(c) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value."
it may sound like a lot of word play, and in large part it is. prostitution is still illegal because it does not enjoy the same first amendment protection.
the reason you have the larry flynt's and hugh hefner's championing first amendment rights is that it protects their bottom line.
However, just as in Vegas, even if it's legalized, there will still be illegal participants.
Many of the state Lotteries were an attempt to put an end to the illegal "numbers" and "policy" gambling, it didn't work. The lotteries make money, but there's still plenty of illegal gambling going on.
On the brightside, it's now taxed, regulated and because it's legal there are no problems with the girls getting employment contracts with conditions clearly set out in them. They are also entitled to the same benefits and holidays as any other employee. Health checks and tests are included and the girls don't have to hide their activities in the same way. Likewise, the brothels are more open to regular inspection by councils and police, and have tightened up the underage restrictions and checks because their cover can't be blown if they make enquiries about potential new girls. The safety of the girls has improved too because now the police can be called if clients are violent, refuse to pay, or cause any trouble.
One of the women from the Prostitutes Collective was on the tellie just the other day literally gushing about how conditions had improved for the prostitutes since the legalisation.
Leticia
i'm not sure which answer is right, but i definitely see two sides to the coin.
I don't think that anyone sees it as a "career" in the normal sense. It's still not a job that I'd like my daughter doing, but for those that either choose to get into the business or fall into it by accident it's a better situation than it was. Apparently the number of women that are drug addicts prostituting themselves is/has fallen dramatically now that many of the brothels can easily and legally introduce drug-testing. I'm not sure if that means that there will be fewer drug addicts out there or if it's just forced them underground, but it does mean that the girls in the whorehouses will be there for one less reason and that customers will be safer.
I suppose that _some_ might see it as a more attractive 'career' option now that it has the thin veneer of legality and a certain basic acceptance.