Prostitution

[sb129]

There is also a difference between a "arguments for and against" debate, and the experiences of those of us who have actually lived in a country which HAS legalised prostitution.

To my knowledge, it is still illegal in Canada.

 

So how can you truly know the benefits without having experienced or witnessed them?

Oh thats right, it doesn't "affect" you.

[Lizzie60]

I don't believe everything I read on the internet.

 

Seeing the statistics and facts in my own country speaks for itself. Thats more than enough for my opinion to stand firm on this topic.

 

 

I can't believe how obtuse this statement is

 

 

Oh, I'm alright jack, let the others who are not as lucky as me rot, i don't give a toss.

 

That kind of attitude is much of what is wrong with the world today.

 

Hahaha... as if the fact that you are giving a toss makes a difference for those women... this is too funny.

[sb129]

Hahaha... as if the fact that you are giving a toss makes a difference for those women... this is too funny.

 

If you want to get to the nitty gritty then yes, me giving a toss DOES make a difference, because I voted for the government that made prostitution legal in New Zealand, hence making the lives of thousands of working girls safer.

 

Tenous, sure, but you can't deny it.

 

Something is cutting too close to the bone here, and I am not the one sitting in a great big glasshouse with a pile of stones next to me. THAT is whats so funny. Once again, until you have worked in a country where its legal and can make a comparison, you won't be convincing me otherwise.

 

Mwah. x

[sb129]

I have never judged you on your profession L, although I am catching a whiff of something not adding up here.

 

I admit, my opinion isn't entirely altruistic either, why shouldn't working girls pay taxes like the rest of us?

 

Is that the part that bugs you and makes you so anti-legalisation do you think?

[lindya]

Hahaha... as if the fact that you are giving a toss makes a difference for those women... this is too funny.

 

Why wouldn't it? Social changes are generally brought about by people giving a toss about certain groups, and placing pressure on law-makers to improve the situation and cater to the rights of those groups.

 

As I understand it, sb129 is a dentist who carries out NHS work, which isn't always the most lucrative. She went into a helping profession, presumably because she gives a toss about people....and yes, she's making a difference. Taking away pain, and improving the quality of people's lives makes a difference. Trying to persuade and encourage other people to care can also make a difference.

 

But just sitting around trying to find ways of presenting your job as a prostitute in as elegant a light as possible (and finding it amusing to compare your situation with less fortunate women at the sharper end of the profession) doesn't really make a difference to anyone's life, I wouldn't have thought.

[sb129]

Why wouldn't it? Social changes are generally brought about by people giving a toss about certain groups, and placing pressure on law-makers to improve the situation and cater to the rights of those groups.

 

Exactly!

 

As I understand it, sb129 is a dentist who carries out NHS work, which isn't always the most lucrative. She went into a helping profession, presumably because she gives a toss about people....and yes, she's making a difference. Taking away pain, and improving the quality of people's lives makes a difference. Trying to persuade and encourage other people to care can also make a difference.

Lindya, thank you!

 

I wish you could tell some of my patients that.... in fact, I may print off that post and give it to them when next they start to moan at me.

And I will keep a copy for myself to read for the next time some idiot cowboy private dentist starts bragging to me about his Porsche.

 

But just sitting around trying to find ways of presenting your job as a prostitute in as elegant a light as possible (and finding it amusing to compare your situation with less fortunate women at the sharper end of the profession) doesn't really make a difference to anyone's life, I wouldn't have thought.

 

I think there is a case of sour grapes here too, and if prostitution was legalised, it wouldn't be a case of "me" and "them" (them being the "less fortunates at the sharper end of the profession")- they would all be lumped into the same group and be viewed equally in the eyes of the law. Which they are already, just not favourably, and however you dress it up, selling sex is selling sex.

[amerikajin]

I've never visited a prostitute and would be worried sick about catching a disease, but I don't have anything against it in principle. If someone wants to sell their body for sex and someone wants to buy, let 'em. Just make sure they're consenting adults.

 

Nevada has legalized prostitution and from what I recall the prostitutes who operate legally have a much lower rate of STD's than those who operate on the streets. It's run as a legitimate business which raises tax revenue. I'm sure there are some problems associated with it, but I think it's better to legalize it and keep it above ground where everyone can see it and regulate it accordingly.

 

I can understand why women hate the idea of legalizing prostitution, though. I think that we've created a sexist society, one in which women are sex objects. I think that this makes women feel more self-conscious and having legal hookers out roaming around would make women even less secure. God, can you imagine the loveshack threads if we had legal prostitution. It's bad enough with the porn threads.

[lindya]

I wish you could tell some of my patients that.... in fact, I may print off that post and give it to them when next they start to moan at me.

 

Give me their names and addresses and I'll, I'll.....I'll write letters!

 

 

I can understand why women hate the idea of legalizing prostitution, though. I think that we've created a sexist society, one in which women are sex objects. I think that this makes women feel more self-conscious and having legal hookers out roaming around would make women even less secure. God, can you imagine the loveshack threads if we had legal prostitution. It's bad enough with the porn threads.

 

If it were legal, they could set up brothels, advertise in relevant publications or set up websites openly promoting their business. I think it would be fair to keep street solicitation unlawful in order to prevent the problems you mention. Where I live, there are "tolerance zones" where prostitutes can ply their trade without fear of arrest. It does of course create problems in that those areas become a kind of territory. Womenn who aren't prostitutes and don't necessarily know which zones are the tolerance ones are going to get pissed off if they wander into them and get propositioned.

 

I'd prefer the idea of proper brothels. Or areas such as the red light districts in Amsterdam where there's no mistaking the fact that it's a red light zone. I think quite a lot of prostitutes are part-timers who only do it now and again when they're really needing cash. No reason that they couldn't have an arrangement with a local brothel that lets out beds by the hour and takes a share of the proceeds.

 

Problem is that the brothels would need a licence...and I would imagine that there would be a lot of residential objections to something like that. Red light areas probably are the way to go....but setting a specific area up as a red light one could be pretty difficult, given that any area in a built up city is going to have a lot of established businesses and residents in it who wouldn't take kindly to the notion.

 

Maybe Wal-mart will add this to the list of non-food-related services it provides.

[amerikajin]

Give me their names and addresses and I'll, I'll.....I'll write letters!

 

 

 

 

If it were legal, they could set up brothels, advertise in relevant publications or set up websites openly promoting their business. I think it would be fair to keep street solicitation unlawful in order to prevent the problems you mention. Where I live, there are "tolerance zones" where prostitutes can ply their trade without fear of arrest. It does of course create problems in that those areas become a kind of territory. Womenn who aren't prostitutes and don't necessarily know which zones are the tolerance ones are going to get pissed off if they wander into them and get propositioned.

 

I'd prefer the idea of proper brothels. Or areas such as the red light districts in Amsterdam where there's no mistaking the fact that it's a red light zone. I think quite a lot of prostitutes are part-timers who only do it now and again when they're really needing cash. No reason that they couldn't have an arrangement with a local brothel that lets out beds by the hour and takes a share of the proceeds.

 

Problem is that the brothels would need a licence...and I would imagine that there would be a lot of residential objections to something like that. Red light areas probably are the way to go....but setting a specific area up as a red light one could be pretty difficult, given that any area in a built up city is going to have a lot of established businesses and residents in it who wouldn't take kindly to the notion.

 

Maybe Wal-mart will add this to the list of non-food-related services it provides.

 

Yeah, I think in Nevada, most of the prostitution is outside the cities, which might be for the concerns you raise about licensing and so forth. I think a red light district would work, particularly if it's outside the city.

[sb129]

I can understand why women hate the idea of legalizing prostitution, though.

 

Yet ironically, one of the women opposing it on this thread gets paid for sex.

[Curmudgeon]

Yet ironically, one of the women opposing it on this thread gets paid for sex.

 

...due to her "advanced age" she doesn't think she can handle the competition!

[Lizzie60]

Yet ironically, one of the women opposing it on this thread gets paid for sex.

 

I didn't say I was against legalization of prostitution, in fact, I don't really give a hoot... I said that legalization was not necessarily a good thing for many reasons... it will never solve the 'street' problems.. it only give a good times for pimps and madams... drug dealers.... trafficking.

 

It's only a way, IMO, for politicians to calm down people.. to make them think that something is done but, in reality, the politicians know they will never solve that problem, so they do this to wash their hands off the problem.

[disgracian]

Lizzie, I'd like an answer to my earlier question. Which countries, in your opinion, have regretted legalising prostitution and why?

 

Cheers,

D.

[Lizzie60]

Lizzie, I'd like an answer to my earlier question. Which countries, in your opinion, have regretted legalising prostitution and why?

 

Cheers,

D.

 

From some literature I've read, here is one article (excerpt) from realwomen site and there are many articles similar to this one:

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][sIZE=2]Every so often, Canadians are urged to legalize prostitution. Proponents claim that this will eliminate crime, encourage prostitutes to leave the streets and work in safe environments (brothels), stop the illicit drug trade, which is always closely allied to prostitution, and improve the health of prostitutes by way of regular medical checks-ups.[/sIZE][/FONT]

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][sIZE=2]Unfortunately, this theory is pure fantasy. One has only to look to the jurisdictions that have legalized prostitution to recognize the disaster it has been. For example, several Australian states, such as Victoria in the mid-1980s, and New South Wales in 1995, have legalized prostitution. These states are now struggling with the fall-out. (During the debate on legalized prostitution, one of the legislators in Victoria argued that legalizing prostitution would bring a better class of women into the trade!)[/sIZE][/FONT]

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][sIZE=2]The most immediate result of legalizing "the trade" was that all forms of prostitution boomed, with the unregulated prostitution business increasing faster than the legal prostitution activities. Municipal councils immediately complained that prostitution was out of control. Organized crime enjoyed a field day. With business becoming so good, shootings and deaths quickly followed with gangs fighting for control of this lucrative sex trade. Moreover, because prostitution itself was legal, police made few checks on brothels, with the result that they quickly became ideal locations for drug connections. Posing as clients, the drug dealers thrived, completely assured of privacy for their transactions.[/sIZE][/FONT]

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][sIZE=2]Prostitutes working out of the brothels also quickly became disillusioned with the arrangement. The madams treated them like cattle in a meat market. They were forced to work 14-hour shifts seven days a week. They were restricted to the premises, except for medical or hairdressing appointments, and were always accompanied by an escort. The pimps, of course, retained absolute control of the prostitutes by comfortably operating out of the brothel environment.[/sIZE][/FONT]

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][sIZE=2]Even the highly lauded medical check-ups of the prostitutes were, in reality, meaningless. The prostitutes moved around too often to keep track of them and if one did become infected with a sexually transmitted disease, another prostitute simply went to the check-up in her place, using the infected woman's medical card.[/sIZE][/FONT]

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][sIZE=2]Sweden is another example of a jurisdiction that legalized prostitution - 30 years ago - and lived to regret it. Prostitution flourished, with one in ten Swedish males buying such services. The drug trade expanded too, with at least half of Swedish prostitutes becoming drug addicts. Interestingly, it is frequently argued that women become prostitutes because they are economically disadvantaged. However, in Sweden, with its cradle-to-grave social welfare policies, this is not the case. According to a Swedish government report released in April 1995, women in Sweden entered into prostitution because they regarded it as "easy money." As a result, Sweden amended its legislation in May 1998, which made the purchase of sexual services from a prostitute a criminal offence, imposing either a fine or imprisonment up to a maximum of 6 months. [/sIZE][/FONT]

 

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][sIZE=2]Obviously, legalizing prostitution is no solution to the problem and, in fact, opens the door to even more serious problems. Canadians must take a firm stand on this issue.[/sIZE][/FONT]