Prostitution Roll Call

[Ebowed]

I oppose the legalization of prostitution under all circumstances, based on moral and public-health reasons.

[minionofmidas]

I favor the legalization of prostitution of consenting persons of working age, based on moral and public-health reasons.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I oppose the legalisation of prostitution... etc etc... but I think that the way prostitution is dealt with should change; a lot of emphasis should be placed on helping to get prostitutes off "the game" and (if nessessary) off drugs etc... while cracking down EXTREMELY hard on pimps. Like making it carry a mandantory life sentance...

[DanielX]

I favor the legalization of prostitution of consenting persons of working age....

... because the government has no right to ban it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

... because the government has no right to ban it.

Whyever not?

[DanielX]

... because the government has no right to ban it.

Whyever not?

Why should it? The government lacks any authority whatsoever on banning consensual sex between adults; while it does have a right to regulate commerce, that doesn't mean it can prevent someone from just paying money to his/her sex partner. And any regulation at all should be at the lowest level possible - state or county or even municipal level.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Why should it?

Why shouldn't it?

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Since when was paying for something not commerce?

[DanielX]

Why should it?

Why shouldn't it?

Because it shouldn't. See below.

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Since when was paying for something not commerce?
[/quote]

When someone just ups and gives money. I generally see 'commerce' as taking place in a slightly more formal setting - although that's more me being too specific with its meaning then anything, you're probably right in that all forms of trade are commerce. Even ignoring that, the government should only be able to do so much:

I see the government as a unit of force. It's quite good at (and should engage in) police action, justice, military action, making sure businesses don't do anything crazy its employees and the public don't know about, etc. It's not a nursemaid or a nanny - it shouldn't be telling people not to do stupid things, it shouldn't be caring for people - it's there to keep people from being violated by other people or governments. And consensual action between adults is not violating either party.

[jokerman]

I completely oppose the legalization of prostitution.

[minionofmidas]

Al...one thing I've always been wanting to point out to you whenever this debate arose...
I think you have a totally deluded notion of what the "typical" pimp is or does.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

When someone just ups and gives money.

No, that is clearly commerce

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Uh huh...

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Now that's your view (and you are certainly entitled to it) but that it's not the same as saying that Government has no right to do something as if there was some fairly objective benchmark of acceptable conduct that banning prostitution is in breach of.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I think you have a totally deluded notion of what the "typical" pimp is or does.

I don't think they're all drug pushers/killers/thugs/etc if that's what you mean

[minionofmidas]

I think you have a totally deluded notion of what the "typical" pimp is or does.

I don't think they're all drug pushers/killers/thugs/etc if that's what you mean

Not quite. But okay, I'll ask the other way round...how would you, in detail, define a pimp? What would you consider sufficient reason for locking somebody away?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

But okay, I'll ask the other way round...how would you, in detail, define a pimp?

A whoremonger

Someone that "oversees" street prostitution basically. I'm not including people who run brothels etc.

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A combination of the following:

Manipulation, intimidation (physical or psychological), abuse (physical or psychological), theft of basic human dignity... etc etc.

And I know that that's the case with most relationships between a pimp and street prostitutes, over here at least.

[minionofmidas]

But okay, I'll ask the other way round...how would you, in detail, define a pimp?

A whoremonger

Someone that "oversees" street prostitution basically. I'm not including people who run brothels etc.

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A combination of the following:

Manipulation, intimidation (physical or psychological), abuse (physical or psychological), theft of basic human dignity... etc etc.

And I know that that's the case with most relationships between a pimp and street prostitutes, over here at least.

Ah, street prostitution. Not the norm in Germany, not the norm in the UK.
How'd'ye define "theft of basic human dignity"? There certainly are ex-prostitutes - and I'd assume actual prostitutes, but they don't speak up in that case - who feel that this is what has happened...but they don't speak for the majority.
Intimidation is certainly ripe - probably much more commonly by the people who run (don't own) the brothels than the "boyfriends" (common designation in "the milieu" for a pimp; highly misleading but also expressing a truth). So is abuse. So is extortion. These problems are best combatted by improving the legal and social status of prostitutes.
In Germany, where prostitution is pretty much legal actually, the problem is that a large proportion of prostitutes are here illegally, or at least are working illegally. None (or maybe virtually none) of them were forced into prostitution, but very many came here with an inflated notion of how much they could earn and how they would live here...many were given false promises back home. Many (far from all) had no experience with prostitution from back home. Many owe money to the people who helped them come here. - In other words, the problems of illegal immigrants everywhere really.
It's the custom for a prostitute to have a "boyfriend". What his role is is not *quite* clear to me, but essentially the job description seems to be to be there as a backup in disputes with brothel operators and the like - this is the most important part; to sleep with her (I suppose this satisfies emotional needs; separate sex from love, that sort of thing); and to scrounge money off her. Easy job really. Also a very exploitative job when all's said and done. These are hardly healthy relationships, there's all sorts of sh!t going on. Hardly reason to lock somebody up for life, though, especially as most seem to get started in that line of trade more or less by accident - if you're in contact with prostitutes long enough you will get offers, basically -, and there's a large grey area.

Now, street prostitution is something I know much less about, although it exists here too.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I'm in favor of legalizing prositution for all people aged 16 and over

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How'd'ye define "theft of basic human dignity"?

Forcing someone to go to some godawful dump, stand outside not wearing much (no matter what the weather) and wait for some sick bastard to pull over and f*** them (and do plenty of other things besides; truely perverted ****'s are much more likely to use street prostitutes than go to a brothel...), then making them give pretty much all the money they got from that to the pimp on pain on having some pretty nasty things done to them. Repeat ad nausem.

Street prostitution is often just another form of slavery

[Frodo]

I favor the legalization of prostitution for public health reasons for all workers 18 and over. 

[CheeseWhiz]

I oppose the legalization of prostitution under all circumstances, based on moral and public-health reasons.

^^^

I'm pretty much as disgusted by it as Al is, but I don't think they should be locked up for life.

[The Duke]

There's nothing wrong with prostitution.  If I buy a girl a lobster dinner, why shouldn't she put out?  Oh, you only meant the honest kind of prostitution.

[True Democrat]

Favor it, but highly regulated.

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

I favor the legalization of prostitution of consenting persons of working age, based on moral and public-health reasons.

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

a lot of emphasis should be placed on helping to get prostitutes off "the game" and (if nessessary) off drugs etc...

I know they're probably a rather small minority, but I'm sure that not all prostitutes are drug addicts or people who really need money, etc. and are just girls who like to have sex so figure at least they can get paid for it.

My freshman year I knew a girl I could easily see being a prostitute. She would go on guys' floors, hang out in their rooms, and try to feel guys up. Her roommate said she brought a new guy or girl (she was bisexual) back to her room almost every night. She once tried to have sex with my friend, who turned her down (regretted it for awhile at the time, but is quite happy now since she probably has some nasty diseases). Technically I guess she HAS engaged in prostitution since she once had sex with a guy in exchange for him buying her alcohol.

And let's not forget I had an "encounter" with a girl who apparently is willing to solicit people she meets through accidential wrong number phone calls for sex and said she once had sex with a guy she was assigned to work with on a class project after they worked on it in the library and went back to her room.

[??????????]

Strongly against. Hookers and their ilk should be locked up for a long time.

[nini2287]

I lean towards keeping prostitution illegal.