Should prostitution be fully legal?

[steve25805 126,156]

Here is a topic for debate. Should prostitution be legal?

Personally I think it should be for consenting adults. If people want to have sex together and are choosing to do so of their own free will, whether it be for love, lust or money, how is it anybody else's business but theirs?

Besides which, it is not often called "the oldest profession" for nothing. People - mostly but not exclusively women - have been selling sexual favours since the dawn of humanity, and the law has never managed to stop it. All it does is drive it into the illicit backstreets where pimps and psychos prey, and where the women involved are denied all effective legal protections.

Better to legalise it, tax it, provide safe environments for the women, and be able to have more control over where it is allowed to happen - away from residential areas preferably.

Of course, many are driven to prostitution out of financial desperation or drug or alcohol addiction, and we should as a compassionate society be doing all we can to help these out of their predicament rather than exploiting them. But that cause too is only made more difficult by criminalisation.

Of course, none of us would ever want to see our own sisters or daughters working as prostitutes, but the plain fact is that criminalisation wouldn't stop them if for whatever reason they went down that route. It would just make it more dangerous for them by placing them effectively outside the protection of the law, whilst making it harder for us to reach out to find them to try and help them.

So on balance, I say that prostitution between consenting adults should be legalised.

What does anyone else think?

[BobsFullBladder 5]

Tricky, well for one thing the girls would have to be safe and have a proper decent health care system and not have any hassle from so called feminists who can't accept reality that although some get into the business from lack of choice, those that do may really be good at it and enjoy it and know the dangers and how to handle themselves. Yeah, it's a tricky one for sure.

[F.W 5,734]

Yes,as a once fairly regular visitor i agree,its the way i got to watch around 10-12 different women pee.BUT there should be rules on where they can operate from,and consideration to neighbours concerns need to be addressed.But,as long as no-ones getting hurt,wheres the problem?You pay your money and you take your choice.Its my experience that most of the girls actually enjoy the work,they are probably just very highly sexed.I met quite a few who told me when days were quiet,they often masturbated,until a client came in,they took dildos to work with them just in case..they actually were keen to get some cock going.Now and then,they have to kind of bite the bullet,a guy might be drunk,or not all that nice,but they get on professionally.If a girl wasnt into it,or just in it for the money,they wouldnt get much trade for long.its like getting lots of sex but free,and earning good money in the process.There are men who arent having sex at the time,and its also a release for them,we all need nookie now and then..Of course,its true,we would be horrified if we thought any of our female relatives were escorts,but then again,they are SOMEONES,daughter,sister,niece etc.They deserve respect,not disgust.What about the models who earn £000s from porn,same thing.It should be de-criminalised,and left alone...

[LetsGetQuizzical 217]

Here is a topic for debate. Should prostitution be legal?

Personally I think it should be for consenting adults. If people want to have sex together and are choosing to do so of their own free will, whether it be for love, lust or money, how is it anybody else's business but theirs?

Besides which, it is not often called "the oldest profession" for nothing. People - mostly but not exclusively women - have been selling sexual favours since the dawn of humanity, and the law has never managed to stop it. All it does is drive it into the illicit backstreets where pimps and psychos prey, and where the women involved are denied all effective legal protections.

Better to legalise it, tax it, provide safe environments for the women, and be able to have more control over where it is allowed to happen - away from residential areas preferably.

Of course, many are driven to prostitution out of financial desperation or drug or alcohol addiction, and we should as a compassionate society be doing all we can to help these out of their predicament rather than exploiting them. But that cause too is only made more difficult by criminalisation.

Of course, none of us would ever want to see our own sisters or daughters working as prostitutes, but the plain fact is that criminalisation wouldn't stop them if for whatever reason they went down that route. It would just make it more dangerous for them by placing them effectively outside the protection of the law, whilst making it harder for us to reach out to find them to try and help them.

So on balance, I say that prostitution between consenting adults should be legalised.

What does anyone else think?

I agree with your idea that if it is something occurring between consenting adults, it should be their business and no-one else's.

However, it seems to me that if you establish grounds whereby the act of paying for a receiving sex is legal, you also throw up a few complications. For example, if I go to a shop and buy a product and am dissatisfied with the service I receive for my money, I may be entitled to an exchange/refund. Would this sort of thing apply to prostitution, or would it be advertised in a sort of "sold as seen" format, as per ads on gumtree, craigslist, etc?

I appreciate that the above is quite a heartless and mercenary statement, but it is one that I am raising purely to generate discussion. I've never personally been able to get into the mindset of paying for sex, so whether prostitution is legal or not honestly doesn't bother me at all. It's an interesting topic to think about though.

[likesToLick 10,216]

Absolutely should be 100% legal. This would allow the women to operate in much greater safety and also reduce their health risks too.

There's plenty of real crime happening elsewhere. Police officers don't need to be wasting their time harassing women.

[F.W 5,734]

I agree with your idea that if it is something occurring between consenting adults, it should be their business and no-one else's.

However, it seems to me that if you establish grounds whereby the act of paying for a receiving sex is legal, you also throw up a few complications. For example, if I go to a shop and buy a product and am dissatisfied with the service I receive for my money, I may be entitled to an exchange/refund. Would this sort of thing apply to prostitution, or would it be advertised in a sort of "sold as seen" format, as per ads on gumtree, craigslist, etc?

I appreciate that the above is quite a heartless and mercenary statement, but it is one that I am raising purely to generate discussion. I've never personally been able to get into the mindset of paying for sex, so whether prostitution is legal or not honestly doesn't bother me at all. It's an interesting topic to think about though.

Good point.Maybe if the lady advertised herself as 27 and she was plainly 45+ or said she does "watersports" but actually really meant she loves jetskiing,NOT pissing over your bits,then there should be a legal recourse..

[F.W 5,734]

I do agree that no-one should be able to rub someone elses face in things that they dont agree with.Like if a baker wont bake a cake for gays,that should also be a human right,the right to dislike,hate any m/f of your own choosing,in the same way you can like someone.In UK we have had cases of gay couples with malice aforethought going into quaint old fashioned hotels as a couple,holding hands etc,and suing them owners when they refuse them rooms,on the grounds that THEIR belief of homosexuality being wrong.Whether you think it wrong or right,surely it should be your choice.