Is legalizing & regulating the oldest proffesion a good or bad idea?

Question

So, I am a massage therapist. And there is this annoying confusion between massage therapists & prostitutes.

I have nothing against women who want to make money with what they got.... I don't have any urge to do it, but I can understand that women are allowed to give it up to anyone for free, so why no profit from it?

Since it will never go away, why isn't there a larger movement to regulate & control this industry to prevent abuses by pimps, treat & screen for those with diseases & aid those sex-workers who want out of the industry with occupational rehab?

I want you to tell me what you think of the legal status of this profession.
Should we keep doing what we're doing?

Should we have harsher punishments or sentences?

Should we move towards acknowledgment, decriminalization & regulation?

Do you see another option?

I am intrigued by azawalli response.....

I don't think it is a good idea for women to get into prostitution... and I understand that an underlying issue of lack of resources & support system now & during development plays a major role in many of the women of the night.... but you offered no example of what you would like to see happen on this issue.

Is prosecution & incarceration the answer for these women & girls? Is what we are doing now the best way to deal with this issue or do you have any better ideas?

Answer 1

I thought the judge was the oldest perfession. O well

Answer 2

I got news for you: Holland has legalized and have been regulating prostitution for ages now. Hell, they even have a "featured girl" sitting in their shop window. And you're right when you say that this method prevents abuse and screens STDs. The police there hunt down the abusers like they hunt down murderers and pedophiles. Also, they've legalized marijuana and regulates that stuff like we do here with cigarettes and alcohol. And this, boys and girls, is what makes Holland have the lowest crime rates in the world.

The reason why we haven't adopted this philosophy is because we think that prostitution and weed are bad (mmm'kay). We are stuck in time without any chance of moving forward. Anyone see that IBM commercial a few years back with the business man in the natural history museum? He was there because he was still using a typewriter in the late '90s. The same thing will happen to us if we don't progress forward.

Answer 3

Prostitution should be legalized and regulated for precisely the reasons you alluded to. It will continue to be practiced no matter what laws are passed against it. Therefore, why not acknowledge that reality and legalize it? If prostitutes had to to be regularly screened for STDs it would keep their customers (and their wives) MUCH safer. Also, if it was regulated, it could be taxed, thereby generating revenue for the state. Also, I think that if these "services" were readily available we'd see a decrease in divorce rates and clandestine extramarital affairs as dissatisfied men could simply seek professional help to find their physical fullfillment. Unfortunately, we are incapable of taking rational and logical steps on this matter because too many of us are afflicted with religious doctrine and fear. Oh well. Thank God for Nevada.

Oh, one other thing...I think that, in general, if an activity is legal between consenting adults, then it should never be illegal to film it, or charge money for it.

Answer 4

I have very mixed emotions about it. Whatever sexual activity you legalize in exchange for money, there will always be something that stays outside the law. For example, most prostitution is fueled by drug addiction. Legalizing the activity might make it less dangerous for prostitutes to ply their trade, but it wouldn't necessarily lead to less disease. Those who couldn't stay healthy due to drug use would continue to ply their trade outside of the legal market. Most prostitutes come from miserably unhappy backgrounds; legalizing their trade would, in some way, be legitimizing dysfunctional behaviour on their part. For most human beings, having sex for money with strangers is not a natural act. It's an invasion of boundaries that should have been in place but were never properly set in the first place.

A note to Corygraph: I generally like your posts, but the logic of this one is a bit weak. You say, "I have never understood the point of making it illegal to engage in an activity for money, where the exact same activity between the exact same people is legal if money isn't involved... " Let's apply that to something else. Talking to your elected representative is legal if no money changes hands, therefore talking to your elected representative should be legal even if money changes hands. Doesn't quite sound right, does it?

Answer 5

I have never understood the point of making it illegal to engage in an activity for money, where the exact same activity between the exact same people is legal if money isn't involved...

Yes, legalizing prostitution, and making sure people who engage in that profession are healthy and not a danger to themselves or others only makes sense to anyone who is approaching the issue from a legal standpoint. The only opposition is religious, and that's not a valid reason for laws.

As a side note, prostitution is the fourth-oldest profession. Scout, shaman and leader were all activities that people were paid to do professionally, before people got paid to have sex.

Answer 6

Legalizing it will be a good idea. Keeping it illegal is like a denial that there are women who have this profession because they have no choice. I'm sure if it was a better situation for them they'd choose another profession. They need protection from diseases, discrimination and right violation.

Besides, if they legalize it, that means there'll be taxes taken from it, why be hypocritical? The taxes taken from it can be useful for development of the state or a country.

Answer 7

In the states where it is both legal and regulated (Nevada and Rhode Island) it seems to have curbed disease, made the profession safer for the women and creates tax revenue. It seems to work there. Makes sense to me.
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I've never patronized a prostitute and can't see doing so, but many do and all those involved should be as safe as possible. regulation seems to do that.

Answer 8

making things illegal never works. They will continue to happen: prostitution, drugs, minors drinking alcohol
The smart solution is always to regulate and supervise.
Legalizing prostitution would give the girls a safer, healthier environment to do what they are going to do anyways. You take away the gangsters out of the equation and can tax it, using the money to educate the girls and offering them alternatives.

Answer 9

This is VERY simple. If there is NO VICTIM then how can there be a crime? If somebody CHOOSES to pay money for sex and somebody CHOOSES to accept money for sex, then who is the victim here?

I can take it a step farther and say the same thing about drug use. If somebody CHOOSES to smoke a bowl, snort a line, or drop a dose, then who is the vicitim? What is the difference between getting stoned and getting drunk? What about smoking a cigarette? Eating red meat? Eating fast food? Crossing the street without looking both ways? Where does it end?

I can't say this enough..........if there is no vicitim, then how can it possibly be considered a crime???

Answer 10

First off, Prostitution is not illegal Federally. Laws against it are state laws. I say sure but good luck , women don't want it legal because of the compition and many men wouldn't want it legal either because of their backwards religious beliefs

Answer 11

Nevada has legalized prostitution and they have black ink on their yearly budget, they have health inspections, and there is no violence associated with the business in Nevada. You can't legislate morality anyway, why not control it, reduce violent crime, and get tax money easily?