Should prostitution be fully legal?

[gldenwetgoose 21,485]

My thought immediately went to the analogy of the Thai massage parlour where the special ending is offered on pretty much every occasion as part of a paid service.   For many it's a perfectly equitable financial purchase of services which includes a direct sex act from which all parties benefit.

Legalising prostitution means in effect legalising, licensing and regulating the pimps.   The current situations of girls being effectively held captive, forced to be dependant on drugs and working in exchange for drugs etc should be improved.  Better provision of care and conditions for those working in the industry etc.

So it won't necessarily have too much affect for the classier end of the industry, the escorts and those offering services from their own properties (bdsm dungeons etc)  but should hopefully help those forced to stand on industrial estate street corners selling themselves for the price of a takeaway meal.

[Alpian 687]

Totally for legalizing it as a registered profession. The sex workers need to have a minimum of safety training and regular check-ups, the payments must be run through a system ensuring proper social security and tax contributions, and in turn the government must ensure the safety of workers and clients.

At the same time the use of non-registered prostitutes must be highly penalized. No client should be able to say he wasn't aware that he'd used a hooker who was being exploited by an abusive pimp outside the legal circuit.

Of course, this legalization would remove one major advantage of the less formal trade: tax-free income. Prices would probably need to adjust...

Even if Germany has not implemented all of the above, they legalized prostitution under red-green coalition of Schröder. Has had some bizarre consequences (job seekers were directed to apply for sex worker jobs under threat of having their benefits withdrawn - obviously there was a public outcry and it was clarified that you couldn't be forced to accept such a job), but looking at German amateur porn on the web, it generally has a positive vibe, I find. Seems to indicate that legalization helps making the job more fun.

[Pooler 170]

I agree that prostitution should be legalized. It is legal in other countries and Nevada. However, it should be regulated. The girls should be health checked on a regular basis for STDs. It should also be run from an established facility with a "store front" away from schools and other sensitive areas.  The street walking form of prostitution should remain illegal,