Legalising and Regulating Prostitution

[BC_chick]

I have always believed in legalising prostitution based on the European model where the profession is taxed and many of the negative repercussions are curtailed - such as spreading disease, underage workers, murder, and exploitation of the women.

The Pickton trial has sparked the debate once again, but this time, I'm hoping that in the face of so many murders, people will begin to seriously ponder the issue. Even if you disregard the profession and think of the murder of these women as a dangerous, yet anticipated part of the job, you can't help but sympathise for the family of the victims.

Any chance this will happen in our lifetime?

[Charles Anthony]

I agree with legalizing/decriminalizing prostitution but I disagree with your suggestion of regulating it.

We make exceptions in enforcing income taxes. We do not expect yard sales or lemonade stands to pay taxes. Maybe we can leave prostitutes alone too. I am willing to bet that their job is taxing enough in ways non-prostitutes can never imagine.

[My disagreement with taxing and regulating prostitution is simplistic and not worth debating in this thread: I do not think any job should be taxed.]

PS, Pardon the hasty editing and subsequent grammatical error in the second subject line.

Use the REPORT post function and request that the Administrator change the title.

[margrace]

Hi B C Chick, I asked this question somewhere else. Who is stopping the legaization of prostitution and the protection of some of our vulnerable young women?

[cybercoma]

Escorts are licensed in Windsor, ON.

Legalized prostitution if you ask me.

BTW: It doesn't take it off the streets or out of the alleys either.

[Remiel]

[My disagreement with taxing and regulating prostitution is simplistic and not worth debating in this thread: I do not think any job should be taxed.]

You just had to take all of the fun out of it, didn't you?

[myata]

We make exceptions in enforcing income taxes. We do not expect yard sales or lemonade stands to pay taxes. Maybe we can leave prostitutes alone too. I am willing to bet that their job is taxing enough in ways non-prostitutes can never imagine.

Why some kinds of physical labour be taxed less than others? Wouldn't it be, like, gender discrimination? Pay equity, anyone?

[Chuck U. Farlie]

I agree that prostitution should be made legal.

After all, it is consenting sex between two adults, so it is harming no one. However, if the contraception fails and the prostitute needs an abortion, she should have to pay for it -- call it a deductible expense .

If the action is harming no one, then I don't see why it should be an illegal activity. I, for one, wouldn't use the service, but if there are those that do, so be it. Doesn't effect me.

Check out this study. It suggests that legalizing prostitution could decrease the number of rapes in the US by 25000 annually.

[jdobbin]

I have always believed in legalising prostitution based on the European model where the profession is taxed and many of the negative repercussions are curtailed - such as spreading disease, underage workers, murder, and exploitation of the women.

I think prostitution is legal in Canada. What is illegal is soliciting.

If the law could come to some solution on soliciting, maybe this would be positive.

[margrace]

The problem is that it is a money maker for the crime syndicates and we don;t know who on here fronts for them. Like the legaization of Marijuana it would hurt some people big time and I suspect if we knew the truth there are a lot of our goodie goodie politicians and others making money out of this.

Who exactly is against it. We need to do some followups don't we.

[BC_chick]

We make exceptions in enforcing income taxes. We do not expect yard sales or lemonade stands to pay taxes. Maybe we can leave prostitutes alone too. I am willing to bet that their job is taxing enough in ways non-prostitutes can never imagine.

[My disagreement with taxing and regulating prostitution is simplistic and not worth debating in this thread: I do not think any job should be taxed.]

There are two things in life which are certain.... death and taxes.

Given that prostitution is largely a cash-based business (like servers), obviously it won't be as taxed as rigidly, but I think that taxing it is a first step in legitimising it. I also think a red-light district is in order given that my primary concern is the safety of the women.

[BC_chick]

Hi B C Chick, I asked this question somewhere else. Who is stopping the legaization of prostitution and the protection of some of our vulnerable young women?

The same men who use the services?

[BC_chick]

Escorts are licensed in Windsor, ON.

Legalized prostitution if you ask me.

BTW: It doesn't take it off the streets or out of the alleys either.

Yes, I was thinking more along the European model of red light districts too though, where the women are relatively safe and away from the public eye.

[BC_chick]

However, if the contraception fails and the prostitute needs an abortion, she should have to pay for it -- call it a deductible expense .

Maybe worker's comp?

Check out this study. It suggests that legalizing prostitution could decrease the number of rapes in the US by 25000 annually.

Amazing!

[BC_chick]

The problem is that it is a money maker for the crime syndicates and we don;t know who on here fronts for them. Like the legaization of Marijuana it would hurt some people big time and I suspect if we knew the truth there are a lot of our goodie goodie politicians and others making money out of this.

Who exactly is against it. We need to do some followups don't we.

I'm pretty sure marajuana will be legalised in my lifetime, but prostitution I'm not sure about - and that's a shame because nobody is dying from the former.

[guyser]

Yes, I was thinking more along the European model of red light districts too though, where the women are relatively safe and away from the public eye.

The problem, and I agree it should be legalized, is where do the red light districts go? In a radio debate the other week on this subject, coming up with a place to host it was nightmare.

[Fortunata]

I'm all for legalizing and regulating the prostitution industy and I'll go one step further. Give these women their "fix" of drugs on the state so they won't have to hang out in seedy neighbourhoods or accept tricks from the "Picktons" just to get their drugs. If the state has control they can also work at getting these people off drugs. Better for the neighbourhood, better for society and better for the women.

[BubberMiley]

I'm pretty sure marajuana will be legalised in my lifetime, but prostitution I'm not sure about - and that's a shame because nobody is dying from the former.

Neither will happen because our economy would collapse without the black market, and a lot of powerful people would lose a major source of income.

[jefferiah]

Legalized Prostitution-----What a wonderful way for the Liberal Party to become glorified pimps?

[BubberMiley]

Legalized Prostitution-----What a wonderful way for the Liberal Party to become glorified pimps?

If they weren't already, they would have changed the law by now.

[Fortunata]

Legalized Prostitution-----What a wonderful way for the Liberal Party to become glorified pimps?

What a stupid thing to say. This isn't about Liberals or Conservatives or NDPee-ers. This is what will work to keep people safe, prostitutes and the general population. Proactive protection instead of reactive social problems.

[Canadian Blue]

I would support legalizing prostitution, however just because it is legal doesn't mean the criminal's will lose another business. If you actually look at Dutch prostitutes, many of them still have to pay to organized crime bosses, and many are forced into it. I think the government has to find a way to ensure the safety of prostitutes, and ensure that organized crime doesn't make money off of it. Legalizing prostitution won't stop people from being forced into it and put in danger.

http://www.answers.com/topic/prostitution-in-the-netherlands

[BC_chick]

I would support legalizing prostitution, however just because it is legal doesn't mean the criminal's will lose another business. If you actually look at Dutch prostitutes, many of them still have to pay to organized crime bosses, and many are forced into it. I think the government has to find a way to ensure the safety of prostitutes, and ensure that organized crime doesn't make money off of it. Legalizing prostitution won't stop people from being forced into it and put in danger.

http://www.answers.com/topic/prostitution-in-the-netherlands

Nothing in life is ever 100%, what we need to do is protect the industry as much as possible. Pickton makes the news because of the severity of the case, but what about all the other murders that take place and go unreported and how many of them could have been prevented if the women were working in safe and protected areas?

[BC_chick]

Legalized Prostitution-----What a wonderful way for the Liberal Party to become glorified pimps?

That's a pretty silly thing to say. By that logic any political party that opposes legalising prostitution is complicit in the murder of the prostitutes every year. And don't even get me started with the murder of its citizens through selling cigarettes or alcohol.

[Riverwind]

Nothing in life is ever 100%, what we need to do is protect the industry as much as possible. Pickton makes the news because of the severity of the case, but what about all the other murders that take place and go unreported and how many of them could have been prevented if the women were working in safe and protected areas?

Prostitution can never be considered legitimate a 'career choice' that some woman freely make. There was a recent story out of Germany where a woman was denied unemployment benefits because she refused to take a job as prostitute (under the rules any who refuse to take a job for which they were qualified is denied benefits). The rules were later changed - but the anecdote illustrates my point.

[BC_chick]

Nothing in life is ever 100%, what we need to do is protect the industry as much as possible. Pickton makes the news because of the severity of the case, but what about all the other murders that take place and go unreported and how many of them could have been prevented if the women were working in safe and protected areas?

Prostitution can never be considered legitimate a 'career choice' that some woman freely make. There was a recent story out of Germany where a woman was denied unemployment benefits because she refused to take a job as prostitute (under the rules any who refuse to take a job for which they were qualified is denied benefits). The rules were later changed - but the anecdote illustrates my point.

Crazy story, but point well-made. Agreed.