Should prostitution be legalized?

[Lourdes]

So I was reading the platforms of some of the incoming members of the New York state legislature and I saw that at least one of them (Julia Salazar I think?) supports decriminalizing sex work. I'm not sure how I feel about this and I just wanted to hear your opinions.

[dead0man]

yes, of course, not a woman hater

[MarkD]

Illegal, but just wait and watch for the Supreme Court to get around to dealing with the issue. They'll end up saying that it's unconstitutional to ban it, a violation of one or two of those clauses in the 14th Amendment. (See my sig.)

[Sirius_]

Legal, it isn't hurting anyone, as long as it's voluntary (sex slavery is bad).

[Goldwater]

Legal, it isn't hurting anyone, as long as it's voluntary (sex slavery is bad).

[RINO Tom]

Legal, it isn't hurting anyone, as long as it's voluntary (sex slavery is bad).

There's a very coherent argument to be made that the legalizing of prostitution enables the sex trade.

Completely illegal and decriminalized for the women involved.

[PSOL]

It would require massive regulation just to ensure safety for the consumer and the service provider. I would not support legalization unless it became a heavily unionized shop. Social conservative, feminists, and those concerned with the abuse on the low-skilled desperate workers would be the bulwark of opposition to legalization.

I know and have seen enough exploitation in porn to be afraid of the negative effects of prostitution. The closest thing to it, the “amateur” explosion, is currently leading to an exodus of deperate boys and girls to Miami and other deregulated areas. It is Wyoming in the Wild West all over again.

[Wisconsin SC Race 2019]

Not without heavy regulations. I hear of reports of women being denied welfare because they haven't tried all legitimate means of finding work (...and prostitution was one of them).

Furthermore, prostitution is almost always a necessary evil of women in poverty...and that sucks. 

[HillGoose]

Yes, I fully believe it should be legal for anyone over the age of 18 to be a prostitute, or pay for sex, as long as they are doing so voluntarily.

[President Johnson]

Yes, with reasonable regulations to prevent human trafficing and other bad stuff.

[OneJ]

Illegal

[Goldwater]

On the whole it's probably better not to bother sex workers and instead focus legal ire on a more deserving group: People who use robots for sex.

You wanna ban vibrators now?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I think it should be legal, but there should be sufficient exit services to ensure nobody is in the job unwillingly.

[Cory]

Legal, it isn't hurting anyone, as long as it's voluntary (sex slavery is bad).

[136or142]

Legal, people who want it to be illegal ultimately are just prudes trying to impose their morality on everybody else.

As with illicit drugs, the evidence is overwhelming that the most major harms from prostitution derive from it being illegal.

[Former President tack50]

Very conflicted about it. My question is about consent. Is it really true consent if she is only consenting because she is getting paid or is it some sort of sex equivalent to bribing someone?

In any case I don't have strong feelings one way or the other, though I guess I lean towards keeping the status quo, where prostitution is in a grey area (prostitution itself is legal, but brothels and pimping are illegal, and those should certainly be kept illegal)

[YE]

Illegal

[ON Progressive]

I support legalization with heavy regulation to protect the workers.

[DeSantis4Prez]

Legal, but with certain restrictions.

For example, maybe a $ limit.

[completely dead account]

Legal, but government regulated.

[dead0man]

Legal, but with certain restrictions.

For example, maybe a $ limit.

I hope you mean a minimum $ limit.

[gottsu]

Selling sex legal, but the purchase illegal

I know its sounds like paradox, but it goes about penalizing clients only and to prevent malpractices (like human trafficking, forced or child prostitution) in it

Such way of regulating prostitution is present in ex. Canada, France, Norway or Sweden

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Selling sex legal, but the purchase illegal

I know its sounds like paradox, but it goes about penalizing clients only and to prevent malpractices (like human trafficking, forced or child prostitution) in it

Such way of regulating prostitution is present in ex. Canada, France, Norway or Sweden

I used to support this, but have grown less inclined towards it after recent evidence suggests that the police continue to suppress prostitutes and most prostitututes themselves find the legislation a burden on their incomes and safety. Then again, most find the legal zones in the Netherlands and Germany equally nightmarish, so I suppose more research is required.

The root problem is destitution. If you make it so nobody can fall into poverty, then nobody people will be forced into prostitution to survive, and you can have a less “problematic” sex industry. But that would require broader shifts in the economy in general.

[courts]

i don't really care if it's legal as long as it's not in my neighborhood

[gottsu]

Selling sex legal, but the purchase illegal

I know its sounds like paradox, but it goes about penalizing clients only and to prevent malpractices (like human trafficking, forced or child prostitution) in it

Such way of regulating prostitution is present in ex. Canada, France, Norway or Sweden

I used to support this, but have grown less inclined towards it after recent evidence suggests that the police continue to suppress prostitutes and most prostitututes themselves find the legislation a burden on their incomes and safety. Then again, most find the legal zones in the Netherlands and Germany equally nightmarish, so I suppose more research is required.

The root problem is destitution. If you make it so nobody can fall into poverty, then nobody people will be forced into prostitution to survive, and you can have a less “problematic” sex industry. But that would require broader shifts in the economy in general.

I agree about the shifts needed in economy in that. But that approach above endorsed by me also needs that what needs the economy. Also people need to change, the policemen need to stop to suppress the ladies of the evening and so on.