yes it should be legalised. Always prohibitions make things worse because it fosters maffias,delinquency and illegal earnings which don´t pay taxes.

I'd say it's more dangerous being illegal since there is no regulation. Looking at the countries that currently allow legal prostitution, it doesn't seem to be having a detrimental effect on their society, AND the government can regulate the trade and tax earnings. Of course, being an armchair philosopher that has never been to a country that has nationally legalized prostitution, the opinion above is just so much uninformed pablum. So sue me.

Sorry, I will go against the flow and say no. I do not believe that anything which forces women to have to sell their bodies can be something our society should legalise. We should be educating our citizens to treat each other with dignity, not acting as pimps to those of our people who were probably already disadvantaged to begin with.

i do not think prostitutes should be illegal, if women choose that life style then why should we stop them?

i do not think prostitutes should be illegal, if women choose that life style then why should we stop them?

In Las Vegas prostitution (escort service) is legal. The women have regular doctor visits and health cards proclaiming them to be disease-free. But then if one of them does catch something, they simply continue to prostitute themselves illegally. Legal or illegal, the oldest profession in the world is not going anywhere, and it will never be safe. I for one don't think it should be legal, because that won't solve any problems, and making it legal would make it more accessible and socially acceptable. That, in my mind, would be a very bad thing.

Absolutely not. We should be passing laws that protect marriage and family not ones to make destroying them easier.

Not on your life. You can not legalize an immoral act and expect amoral people to follow the laws set for them. Get real, if they'll do it when it's illegal they'll just laugh at the laws you pass. All the places that have it legalized in some way such as like Germany, Amsterdam, and Nevada are now trying to make it illegal because the laws are not being followed and they did not factor in the socialogical damage that this does to everyone involved. They now have to deal with higher desease, suicide, and drug addiction rates, more crimes against women, more divorces from the men that go, shattered women who have sold themselves, sexually sociopathic sons of these women, daughters who have no sexual control, sex slavery, and wives that are in peices from husbands who go outside of the marrigae for this service. Not to mention the drop in property values. When this comes to a community the law abiding leave and the slime moves in. This is what it does to the women. They get involved thinking they'll be making all this money and be safe doing it. In reality they end up poored because most of the money goes to the brothel. Why? She has to pay for her room and half of what she makes goes back to the brothel. Plus she has to buy all of her assessories like ligerie and profolatics and beauty treatments. Not cheap. And she has to pay for the STD teasts. She is not protected anymore in that brothel then she is on the street. It's not uncommon for a prostitue or a stripper to be raped, beaten, and left for dead by a customer in that closed off room. And if she tells or tries to press charges she won't have a job and could even end up dead. Why? The brothels are fronts for money laundering, drug dealing, and sex slavery for organized crime. They also learn real quick that the only way to make money is to take more customers then your suppost to and to not use protection. You also have to factor in the psychological damage from being paid to have sex by multiple men a day who don't give a damn about you. Just not healthy hence the drug and alcholo addictions that usally end in suicide. Not to mention the health problems from STDs. Their children don't fare much better. I dated a guy who I suspect had a prostitute for a mother back in Germany. She may not have told him what she did, but it did turn him into a masochist who abused women and thought the only thing we were good for was sex. This is not uncommon among the boys who's mothers do this. And his sister was not much more stable when it came to sex. To her sex was not something you did with some one you love, but to get what you wanted. Also not uncommon. The men who go end up ruining their ability to be a husband and father. After all why should he activily participate in his marriage when he can just go pay for what he wants? It ruins his ability to sexually empathize and to communicate with his wife both in and out if the bedroom. It also perpetuates what ever sexual dysfunction he has into full blown sexual addiction. Plus he's bring how a surprise for his unsupecting wife. It's called an STD and that how most women find out what their husband is doing behind their backs. Oh, and what a lovely example he gives his children. Men don't have to be faithfull and women have to clean up the mess. The wives ended up finding out because he brings something home an STD or the money is gone becuse he spent it all on whores. Reall nice. She ends up broken and divorceed. And don't blame her for not meeting his needs. It's her needs that get pushed to the side. She's pulling her hair out trying to get him to have sex with her and participate in their marriage. And he's getting everything he wants. And the children of the men end up just like the prostitues kids. After all look at the example of what men are suppost to do that they're getting. The sons become cheats and the daughters start acting like the prostitues. Sound like a good idea now?

Absolutely. Only ban something if you want people to get killed over it. Decriminalization's benefits outweigh...what dangers? The top reason for the increase in the divorce rate is the creation of no-fault divorce laws, followed closely by money and then by poor communication. Infidelity is only number four on the list, making arguments about prostitution increasing divorce to be somewhat inconsequential. If you really think that prostitution should be kept illegal because you are concerned for women, that is a false dichotomy. Prostitution will continue regardless of prostitution being illegal or legal, but legal prostitution harms women much, much less than illegal prostitution. Thus those who are pragmatic and pro-women should be in favor of legalized prostitution, because you are just fooling yourself if you think that women are protected more, and harmed less, under illegal prostitution than under legal prostitution.

Yes. It is decriminalised here, allowing sex workers the same rights as all other workers - access to the police when needed, better disease control and access to educational and sexual resources. Sex workers are now registered and the industry is a lot cleaner. Their earnings are taxed and above board - which prevents welfare scamming. The STI infection rate has lowered in the sex industry, and the sex industry itself has not suddenly grown to huge proportions as nay-sayers of the law change suggested. It is a good thing, and I believe it should be done worldwide. Here's a link about the law changes proposed in New Zealand by the NZ Prostitute's Collective before the law change. http://www.nzpc.org.nz/lawrefor.htm

This question has been asked before!

It has been suggested I do some research on legal versus illegal prostitution, and I was not particularly surprised at what I found. It has been claimed that legal prostitutes and legal brothels ignore the laws. While no one has provided any evidence yet to support this claim, law enforcement agents regularly ignore the laws when selectively prosecuting prostitutes (where prostitution is illegal): Prostitutes and Politics Why is it still illegal to pay for sex? Cathy Young | May 7, 2007 http://www.reason.com/news/show/120048.html "As with other victimless crimes, the criminalization of prostitution creates a vast breeding ground for corruption, hypocrisy, and morally dubious law enforcement tactics. ... Selective enforcement is the norm, as is entrapment." Spotsylvania Deputies Receive Sex Services in Prostitution Cases Monday, February 13, 2006; Page B01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/12/AR2006021200943.html 'It's insane,' said Charles J. Key Sr., a retired Baltimore police lieutenant who trains police officers and federal agents across the country. 'If you allow officers to go through with the act, they've violated the law. You don't get an exception for participating in a violation of law.'" It has also been claimed that legal prostitution will cause the STD rate to skyrocket. Also from "Prostitutes and Politics": "Another common claim is that prostitution causes direct harm by contributing to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. However, that may be the reddest herring of them all. In Australia, where sex for money is legal, the rate of HIV infection among female prostitutes is so low that prostitution has been removed from the list of known risk factors in HIV surveillance. In the U.S., reliable data are more difficult to come by, but a 1987 Centers for Disease Control study likewise found very low infection rates among prostitutes." As for whether or not prostitution is psychologically harmful to women, the following link is of interest because the "yes it is" evidence is all about illegal prostitution, whereas the "no it isn't" evidence is all about legal prostitution. Q: Is prostitution psychologically harmful to prostitutes? http://www.prostitutionprocon.org/questions/psychological.htm Some quotes from the three comments on the Pro side: "Dissociation, depression, and other mood disorders are common among prostituted women in street, escort, and strip club prostitution", "among the sample of street-based female sex workers", and "among Puerto Rican Sex Workers", all examples of illegal prostitution. Prostitution is completely illegal in Puerto Rico. Some quotes from the Con side: from Australia, where prostitution is legal, we hear "There were no differences in mental health... or in self-esteem... between the two groups [female prostitutes and females who weren't prostitutes]... Our results challenge prevailing ideas that sex work and psychiatric morbidity are inevitably associated." From Holland, where prostitution is also legal, we hear "This study provided evidence that female indoor sex workers in the Netherlands do not exhibit a higher level of work-related emotional exhaustion or a lower level of work-related personal competence than a comparison group of female health care workers (mostly nurses)." And from the U.S., "But none of these facts shows that the profession is itself psychologically harmful. It might be positively beneficial for some women in some circumstances -- or at least no more psychologically harmful (and much more lucrative) than alternative professions." As for the claims that prostitution is a threat to marriage: Q: Is prostitution a threat to marriage? http://www.prostitutionprocon.org/questions/marriage.htm Paul Abramson, Ph.D., Steven Pinkerton, Ph.D., and Mark Huppin, J.D., Ph.D., wrote in Sexual Rights in America (2003) that: "[P]rostitution is consistent with the pursuit of happiness of both prostitutes and the men who visit them. Moreover, to the (somewhat questionable) extent that the availability of commercial sex partners channels excess male sexual energy away from the wives of other men (thereby preventing adultery) or unwilling sexual partners (thereby preventing rape and sexual assault), prostitution is beneficial in a broader sense." Also from the same link: "Some people claim that prostitution threatens committed relationships, marriage, and the family. The argument is that the 'johns' who patronize prostitutes will have less incentive to enter stable relationships. But such an argument is unfounded. Committed relationships have intrinsic rewards to both men and women. Most people report that sex within a committed relationship is superior to casual sexual contact. Further, such emotionally bonding sex costs no money. Commitment also offers continuing companionship, emotional security, and an opportunity to pool economic resources and share the responsibility for children. These positive outcomes will always make committed relationships appealing to most people, even those who have access to prostitutes. Further, sex workers can provide committed couples a way to gratify needs for sexual variety without risking the emotional attachments arising from sexual affairs." Sex workers in a system of illegal prostitution face increased levels of violence precisely because they are illegal prostitutes. Police ignore illegal prostitutes' requests for help and are often themselves the perpetrators of violence against prostitutes. Revolving Door: An Analysis of Street-Based Prostitution in New York City Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center http://www.sexworkersproject.org/downloads/RevolvingDoorFS.html "Violence Against Prostitutes: Eighty percent of street-based prostitutes interviewed had experienced or been threatened with violence while working. When asked about reporting violence to the police, they reported that police did not take their complaints seriously and often told them that they should expect violence. "Carol" told researchers "If I call them, they don't come. If I have a situation in the street, forget it. 'Nobody told you to be in the street.' After a girl was gang raped, they said 'Forget it, she works in the street.'" She continued, "I hope that never happens to your daughters. I'm human." Police Violence Against Prostitutes: Thirty percent of sex workers interviewed told researchers that they had been threatened with violence by police officers, while 27% actually experienced violence at the hands of police. Reported incidents included officers physically grabbing and kicking prostitutes, as well as beating them; one incident of rape; one woman was stalked by a police officer; and throwing food at one subject. Sexual harassment included fondling of body parts; giving women cigarettes in exchange for sex; and police offering not to arrest a prostitute in exchange for sexual services." Legalizing prostitution would empower prostitutes to seek out assistance from law enforcement and the court system, which would discourage potential attackers. Infidelity is not a big threat to marriage, as an Associated Press survey found that only 17% of divorces were for infidelity. People like to claim that the divorce rate is skyrocketing and blame prostitution for this effect. This ignores the fact that the divorce rate is at its lowest point in 37 years, and has been steadily dropping for the past 25 years: Decrease in divorces raises questions May 14th, 2007 http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_134115523 "The divorce rate in the United States has dropped to 3.6 divorces per 1,000 people - the lowest level since 1970, according to figures released earlier this month by the National Center for Health Statistics. That downward trend has continued steadily for the past 25 years." Some people who want to ban prostitution say it is because they want to wipe out prostitution. For some perspective on why "banning prostitution to wipe it out" is a very stupid idea, consider hardline Islamic countries. In those countries they stone prostitutes and their "johns" to death in the streets. However, a form of legalized prostitution persists in Islamic countries, and it has support within the Quran itself: NikāhÌ£u’l-Mut‘ah (sometimes abbreviated to "mut'a"). This practice permits a man to marry a woman for as little as one hour, and also requires him to compensate her for the sex. Under Islamic law this permits a man to relieve his sexual urges without committing any sins. Temporary Marriages, By Sayyid Mujtaba Busavi Lari http://home.swipnet.se/islam/articles/Temp.Marriage.htm Temporary Marriage in Islamic Law, by Sachiko Murata http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/muta/ One can hardly accuse hardline Islamic clerics of being "pro-prostitution", and yet they permit the practice of legalized prostitution under the guise of "temporary marriages". Clearly even a prostitution ban will never wipe out the practice of prostitution. Finally, when you ban the supply of something for which there is a strong demand, and do nothing about reducing the demand, you will make that product easier to access by *children*. Illegal drugs are now on many street corners, ready for purchase by any child with spare cash. Illegal prostitutes are also now on many street corners, ready for purchase by any child with spare cash. This is nothing new. Alcohol Prohibition in the U.S.A. had alcohol sellers lining up to sell to the child drinker market: http://www.hoboes.com/Politics/Prohibition/Notes/Illusion/ "And just as some modern drug dealers are willing to sell to children, black market alcohol dealers also found that, as they were not bound by the law in any case, that children were a profitable market: Speakeasies were opened near the schools to tap this new and promising market, and bootleggers appeared who catered exclusively to the youngsters, foisting upon them even worse liquor than their parents were buying. Colonel William L. Barker, (head of the northern division of the Salvation Army), said in 1925 that: Prohibition has diverted the attention of the Salvation Army from the drunkard in the gutter to the boys and girls in their teens.… We have girls in our rescue homes who are fourteen and fifteen years old, while ten years ago the youngest was in the early twenties." So to summarize, illegal prostitution: encourages law enforcement officers to break laws which they are sworn to uphold by allowing them to avoid punishment for breaking those laws; increases STD infection and spread; is very damaging to the emotional well-being of prostitutes; will never be completely eradicated by being illegal, and is not completely eradicated even in hard-line Islamic countries; and increases a child's access to prostitutes. Legal prostitution would certainly alleviate many of these issues. Neither illegal nor legal prostitution is particularly threatening to marriage, so since keeping it illegal causes so many other problems, legalizing prostitution can be done safely without threatening marriage. I will not make the same *mistake* as those who want to ban prostitution by claiming that legalization will solve every problem completely, but illegal prostitution creates more problems and does not solve any problems.

lets just look at holland. where prostitution is legal, soft drugs are legal. there is less crime, health benefits are better. prostitution is a choice that a person makes and prostitutes should not be criminalized. it is the oldest profession afterall.

I say it should. PROS: The US government is not here to legislate morality. Is you feel that they are then you are not far removed from the supporters of Sharia law; the only differnce is that you favor government using a Bible instead of a Quran. If legalized, it could be taxed like many other goods/services. The quality of the "product" could be controlled/regulated like food is; mandatory health inspections etcetera Reduced prison populations; we could lock up REAL dangers to society CONS: The holier-than-thou types will get uppity.

You are so wrong. Moonshine made alot of people including my great grandfather alot of money. It was legal to sell it. And sell it they did.H emade more money from that then horses. and he sold to bars all over the place. One of the things they liked to add was gasoline and that was befor prohabition. The cut just go more afterwards. You just proved youself wrong that children didn't have access to

Who said anything about employer-provided health care? Many "more legitimate" occupations lack insurance as well. In fact, I am very fortunate to have affordable health coverage; the majority of Americans are either paying out of every orifice or lack coverage entirely. Now, a decently competent "working girl" would easily earn enough to afford coverage at least comparable to what my wife and I enjoy. If not, then they lack the basic life skills needed to live in a free-market society like ours in the first place.

I guess it should, for the protection of women etc, but the whole thing makes me hate men a bit.

THere are always some people and hypocrites who want to to rule and command others what they should do. Prostitution is a mere fact just like sex industry. So I am strictly for a legalisation to places where it does not disturb. The hypocrites can stay off if they feel disturbed and all others can go there. Freedom means to me that anybody can as he likes as long as he does not disturb others. But hypocrites and hysterics who do not get along with their own and completely unimportant life have nothing to do but to force and educate others with their stupid rules. In America we could see what prohibition brought up to the country. We have meanwhile in all western countries people who are nothing but losers in their successless lives and who start to rule and educate others. I think at a certain day the mojority will not only kick them but smuck them because these people atre nothing but mentally sick.

Yes. It is the oldest profession that will never go away. If it were legalized, controlled, required medical reviews, and were taxed it would have a huge benefit too society. We would eliminate the criminal element, we'd significantly reduce the amount of STDs, and it would generate tax revenue via a "sin" tax that only sinners would have to pay.

no and no