Should prostitution be legal?

[Jodi_620 37]

(In Sterling, Virginia??? Man, it used to be a quiet little burg when I lived near there.)

Yeah BJean, unfortunately Sterling is falling fast. I've been here for 20 years and the last five have been pretty sad. Illegal Immigration came first with overcrowded, unkept homes and crime. Now we have MS13 in Sterling battling 18th Street in Sugarland. Just last summer there were three shootings, a stabbing and the rape of an elderly woman in her bed all within a weeks time. All have been found to either be related to gang violence or committed by illegal immigrant criminals. To keep on topic there has also been two prostitution busts in the county lately one in Leesburg and on in the apartments in Sterling Park, both were rings run by gangs.

[plain 12]

Our only chance to actually have some control over it is to make it legal and regulate it.

BJean, what makes you think there would be more control if it were legalized? The gangs and pimps that run prostution now would more than likely still run it if it were legalized or not.

[MeatballsMom 0]

BJean, what makes you think there would be more control if it were legalized? The gangs and pimps that run prostution now would more than likely still run it if it were legalized or not.

I have to agree with Plain on the above comment-As a former police officer, prostitution is not just about doing what you want with your own body, it is what you inflict on another person or what another person may inflict on you.

It is a matter of the actions and behaviors that surround the prostitution "industry" and the havoc it brings to the rest of society.

If we ask for the goverment to step in and control this "industry", who in the heck do you guys think is going to pay for that? TAXPAYERS, and most prostitutes even with legalized prostitution will NOT pay taxes in a cash based industry, or pay very little!!!!!

You see, the goverment will have to setup office in all major cities, higher and train workers on this new "Legalized Industry", setup MORE free clinics or low income clinics to test all of these hookers for their "checkups" to make sure they are clean to screw every Tom, Dick and Harry and then fill out reports, have someone else keep up with the statistics, studies and reports.

I sure as hell do not need to see more of my hard earned money go down the toilet because someone want to have sex for money---that is absurd!

There was another post that said "how will the government regulate health checks, it is not like someone is going to wait 3 days for a clean bill of health check on his/her hooker and then have sex with her/him. Yet another stupid and costly reason why it should not be legalized.

For the Netherlands comment on legalized prostituion-Do you think that even in this most liberal country they might just have hookers who do not follow the laws and health codes to the T? I know they have them, MANY of them and a lot carry some of the most nastiest diseases--not something I want or better yet, not something I would like to be "accidentally" exposed to by whatever means.

BTW....Do you think the "health inspectors" over there get paid off like they do over here?? My answer: YES! So much for protecting the greater good!

Another post stated if the government legalized it, then they would have more control over it.....LMAO, really??? Come on, the goverment has control over one thing, yours, theirs and my money and that is only if we report it!! How many waiters, bartenders, taxi cab drivers, etc. etc. get paid in cash and do NOT report it or report 100%??? Wild guess, a HELL OF A LOT do not repot all of their earnings, therefore what makes you think the hookers are going to do this?

Better yet, when men and/or women pay for their prostitutes, it will be done on a cash basis and even the businesses will hide this under the table, because who in the hell needs a receipt for paying for sex?

I suppose we find ourselves stepping on that slippery slope between past societal expectaions and the degredation of our current society; Where prostitution is being advocated to be made legal, where juvenile crime rate is disgustingly high, where material possessions are more important tha human life, where the rights of illegal immigrants are held at a high standard than he death of the person they killed, etc...etc..

Why stop at legalizing prostitution? We should go ahead and legalize all abortions (those in the third trimester as well), legalize ALL usages and sellings of any type of drug to anyone---I mean hey, what the heck do we need pharmacist for when we can hire some illegal thug to give us the drugs we want for less or the current illegal drugs for a rock bottom price compared to the guy standing on the other corner?!

Then we can progress into polygimast marriages and men/women can marry people as young as 16 years of age, I mean come on we trust them to operate a half-to-one ton vehicle while talking and texting on their cell phones, they sure as heck should be able to have sex with and marry anyone, right?

I suppose my point with all of this is as follows: This is nothing more than a domino effect---it starts with something simple and harmless, then progresses with spead, intensity and harmful consequences.

To end: I voted undecided---I can see both sides of the arguement, like gay marriage and abortion, I do not agree with it morally but it does not hurt the rest of society however unlike gay marriage, legalizing prostitution does pose a number of consequences on society!

Edited December 31, 2008 by MeatballsMom

[noosagirl 0]

I don't know if anyone can say what is right or wrong. I think everyone is forgetting that prostitutes are are everyday people with kids and families and are some ones daughters and sisters. I kind of think it should be their decision wether it should be legal or not.

[MeatballsMom 0]

I don't know if anyone can say what is right or wrong. I think everyone is forgetting that prostitutes are are everyday people with kids and families and are some ones daughters and sisters. I kind of think it should be their decision wether it should be legal or not.

Well with the argument, drug addicts and alcoholics are every day people with kids and families as well as someones son, daughter, sister or brother; so should we legalized current illegal drugs and driving under the influence for the sake of them getting home in time to either be their for their families or get some rest before work tomorrow?

The argument I expect in return is that driving under the influence can injure and possibly kill that person and others, that taking drugs can kill that person and possibly others around them. Really?

Having sex with a prostitute is like play Russian Roulette with ones life as well as others. No amount of government regulation is going to keep that under control and we the tax payers will end up footing the bill for it ALL in the end-whether it is the legalization of prostitution itself or the medical bills that those infected with diseases will incur due to sex with prostitutes.

Please keep in mind that legalizing prostitution is not just for women, but men as well and one of the largest "spreaders" of HIV/AIDS and many other diseases is through sharing of needles and homosexual intercourse (no, this is not a bash to the gay community but rather mere facts).

How many unsuspecting wives or husbands will have unprotectected intercourse with their spouses AFTER he/she had sex with a hooker? Many, and many have contracted diseases because of this.

Again, there are many consquences for legalizing this "industry" without looking into the moral aspect of it all and in the end, ALL of it will be at the expense of the taxpayers in some fashion: Establishing offices and highering workers to montior the industry ACROSS the nation, setting up free or low income clinics for the testings of the prostitutes, criminal fees when one person finds out another gave them a disease because he/she had sex with a prostitute and decided to take the law into their own hands, medical bills related to those who contract diseases but do not have health insurance to pay for their health care or meds as a direct result of this behavior, etc..etc...etc... in the end WE the TAXPAYERS will end up paying for it and I for one do not feel compelled to pay for someone else having sex!!!

[HeatherO 7]

I am on the fence with this one. Morally it is just wrong . . . but that doesn't stop it from happening here or anywhere else in the world.

I can see valid arguments both for and against it.

[pattygreen 5]

Meatballsmom, You are absolutely correct in what you say, but what about the fact that it's just plainly a SIN. I know that some people here don't like to hear that word, but when it comes to making a decision on whether something should be legalized or accepted by society, the answer is always " What does God have to say about it?" Prostitution is a sin and should not be legalized. God forknew that as time went on people will start to say that what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. I say we are there now. I can't tell you how many times I run across people who believe it is fine to live any way they choose and say it's their choice and say "It doesn't effect you, so why do you care what I do?" But sin effects everyone around. The fact is, people want to do what they want to do and don't care about if it's a sin or not. (As a matter of fact, they don't even want to hear the word sin. It angers them.)We have had many debates here about right and wrong choices in life. (ex: homosexuality, abortion,etc.) But I wouldn't even bother debating it, because some are set on living the way they choose whether it's sinful or not and could give a hoot whether anyone aproves of their lifestyle or not. Prostitution is morally wrong, God says so, and seeing that he is the master creator of all that is in this universe, I will agree with Him.

[Carrie_C 9]

You are right that it is a sin. But like you said, people are going to live the way they want no matter what.

[green 6]

Prostitution has been around since the beginning of time. Men who want to use a prostitute's services are not deterred because it is an illegal activity. We all know that! Legalising prostitution will mean that a prostitute can go to the cops in order to complain if she is being maltreated by a john or a pimp. As things stand, prostitution is a shadowy occupation because, in part, of its illegality and these women can be easily victimized. One should remember that there would be no prostitutes if there were not men who wish to purchase sex and poor women who wanted the cash. This business is an example of the law of supply and demand.

[pattygreen 5]

are you suggesting that it should be legalized to protect those who wish to indulge? I don't agree. I believe that you reap what you sow. If you choose to participate in sinful acts, then the consequences are there for you to deal with. Even if that means you are mistreated by your John. If you don't want to be mistreated, then do the right thing and get a respectable job. If sin did not have any consequence, people would continue to live in it.

[Carrie_C 9]

Just because they are prostitutes does not mean that "johns' have a right to mistreat them.

[pattygreen 5]

that is true, no one should mistreat anyone, but when you are involved in sin you suffer the consequences for your actions. If a person came into my home to rob me or hurt me, I might shoot him. He knew what the consequences were before he entered my home. These prostitutes accept the risks involved with their sin otherwise they would find a better job.( not to say they are acceptable risks, but like I said, you reap what you sow.) We used to try to keep most sins illegal in this country because the consequences effected everyone around, but as time has gone on, people are choosing to do what they want instead of obeying God and this country is falling farther and farther away from His way. What once was unnaceptable ( sins like abortion, homosexuality, excessive alcohol assumption, sex before marriage, etc.) are now acceptable. And not just acceptable, but considered right. (If you're reading this and you want to jump all over me about some of those, please remember that I didn't decide for myself that those things are sin, this is what God himself calls them in the bible.) You can see it all around us, the way people want to make this a country of 'anything goes'. Some want to legalize marajuana, some want to change the definition of marriage. The worst sin of all, in my opinion, was legalizing the act of killing the unborn. (one of the ten commandments, 'thou shalt not murder') Yet millions do it every year and it is accepted. Just the fact that there is a thread with this question of 'should prostitution be legalized?' shows you where the hearts of men are heading; towards all things sinful. For if their hearts were toward God, they wouldn't need that answered. They would already know.

[Boo Boo Kitty 3]

You are right that it is a sin. But like you said, people are going to live the way they want no matter what.

It is NOT our goverements job to moralize us. We are human beings that make our own choices--and deal with the consequences ourselves. Moral regulation is just ignorant.

are you suggesting that it should be legalized to protect those who wish to indulge? I don't agree. I believe that you reap what you sow. If you choose to participate in sinful acts, then the consequences are there for you to deal with. Even if that means you are mistreated by your John. If you don't want to be mistreated, then do the right thing and get a respectable job. If sin did not have any consequence, people would continue to live in it.

WOW, that is truly truly harsh considering you have never been in their shoes. You don't know why they do it, or if they deserve abuse. I am sad to say this, but your bitterness seems like a sin to me....??

Prostitution has been around since the beginning of time. Men who want to use a prostitute's services are not deterred because it is an illegal activity. We all know that! Legalising prostitution will mean that a prostitute can go to the cops in order to complain if she is being maltreated by a john or a pimp. As things stand, prostitution is a shadowy occupation because, in part, of its illegality and these women can be easily victimized. One should remember that there would be no prostitutes if there were not men who wish to purchase sex and poor women who wanted the cash. This business is an example of the law of supply and demand.

I agree 100% green. It happens and will continue to happen. It is sad these women (and male prostitutes) are not protected as human beings, and respected by others.

[georgebals 0]

Prostitution is alive & well legal. Except in Clark County. Our Mormon Governor won't allow sin close to Sin City. He loves whores, not to be confused with prostitutes. Politicians & Prostitutes here in Nevada are the best money can buy. It can't be a sin if it's legal!:wink_smile::thumbup::thumbup: Hasta Pronto, George

[MacMadame 81]

I love the whole attitude that when women do these things, THEY are sinning and MUST BE PUNISHED. What about the guys? They are the ones PAYING TO HAVE SEX! Many of them are married too so they are commiting adultry.

But, hey, they are guys, so I guess that's okay and they can even mistreat the people they are paying and that's okay too ... those nasty sinning women have to be punished after all!