Do you support or oppose the legalization of prostitution?

[Virginiá]

I certainly do not like the idea of prostitution so much but as others have said, we can't just ban it and expect it to magically disappear. Banning a vice should never even be an option, because we know from centuries of experience that it does not work. The first option should always be to regulate it and try indirect ways to mitigate its use.

Have to admit as well, it seems silly that people can sleep with whomever they want for free, but all of a sudden when money is involved, it's a crime and forbidden. These social engineering / morality laws really need to be put to bed. America as a whole at least I think is now beyond the hyper-religious puritan views of the past.

[Virginiá]

Well, all forms of it should be criminalised with the tacit understanding that it will still go on in the shadows.

So basically what we have now?

Criminalizing vices does not work, and prostitution is arguably the dumbest vice to criminalize. I really wish this country would stop using the criminal justice system as a tool for enforcing other peoples morals

[Virginiá]

But every single law, to a certain extent, is simply a reflection of one moral viewpoint or another. I mean, your view that prostitution should be decriminalised is in and of itself a moral judgement (I don't know how you view prostitution per se, but your statement indicates that you don't view it as being particularly morally heinous, which is of course a perfect valid viewpoint). Every law regulating everything from taxation levels to marriage and crime control to health policy ultimately stems from a moral judgement. Of course, you can argue as to whether a certain policy is moral or not, and as to whether it is practicable, but criticising people simpy for making and supporting laws based upon their sense of morality doesn't really stack up.

I don't want to get too abstract here, but I was referring more to social values. Prostitution, drugs, etc. If I want to sleep with some guy on a whim, it's perfectly fine and legal. If I want to do it for money, suddenly it's illegal. That's such bs. What difference does it make? It's like, a long time ago, some people decided that sex needed to be pure and anyone who thought about genitals outside of wedlock should be shamed. That's their opinion on a completely natural act. They are trying to shape other people's reality for their own selfish reasons. Humans exist to reproduce, just like all other animals. What I want to do with my body is none of anyone's business and frankly no one should have a say in it. If I want to pump heroin into my veins 24/7 while bouncing up and down on some guy's junk in an alleyway for $50, that's my decision with my body. I don't get why people think they should have a say in that.

Now, from a partisan perspective, I can at least understand the desire to criminalize from liberals, who themselves are open to infringing on various rights when it suits them, but it's funny when it comes to conservatives who cry freedom this and freedom that, except when it comes to someone else's body and marriage. Then govt regulation is OK because they find the idea that people using their bodies as they please is icky and against God & their values, so criminalizing is their go-to option for enforcing their worldview.

If we want to talk about other vices & actions, I would have to go through them one-by-one, so I just addressed drugs & prostitution above

(btw i'm just venting, not throwing sh**t at you!)

With this in mind, I oppose legalization of prostitution, partly on moral grounds, but mostly for pragmatic reasons. I very much support reducing criminal penalties for prostitution, though.

Is it really fair to compare the prostitution industry of eastern Asia to the United States? They aren't quite the same.