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Around the world, there's a growing movement to decriminalize sex work. Last year, Amnesty International, the largest human rights group in the world, came out with a recommendation that governments should decriminalize consensual sex work and develop laws that ensure workers are "protected from harm, exploitation and coercion." A United Nations commission has also come out in support of legalizing prostitution.
But the idea is a divisive one, stirring impassioned debates and concerns about the ways varying approaches could harm sex workers. Amnesty's recent policy drew strong support from public health advocates and intense backlash from those aiming to end prostitution completely.
Understanding the scope, harms and public health implications of policies addressing the world's oldest profession is really tricky. While prostitution - the buying and selling of sex - is a multibillion dollar industry, the sex trade is clandestine by nature. It's taboo. That makes it really hard to study, especially in the United States.
That's most often the case, except in this one part of the country, where the laws of prostitution were totally upended. It's a peculiar story that's largely left out of the current discussion. The place in question is not Nevada, where there's a small number of regulated brothels in certain rural counties.
It's a whole state - Rhode Island.
For several years, ending in 2009, indoor prostitution such as in massage parlors, strip clubs and through online escorts, was not a crime in this tiny New England State.
The whole thing happened somewhat unintentionally. But at the time, it fueled a heated public debate about sex, crime and health.
Years later, some are revisiting the lessons learned.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:46PM (12 children)
Pleasure is bad and of the devil, suffering is good and the end-times are coming, as heralded by the prophesies that told us that one of the indications would be bad laws being enacted. I see this going no-where in the US.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:53PM (2 children)
This has nothing to do with pleasure, having sex out of wedlock hasn't been illegal in a very long time. This is keeping the exploitation of prostitutes illegal.
If you want sex, there's no shortage of women giving it away for free if you can appear to have money and power. Which is much less morally problematic than the issues surrounding prostitution. Any woman that gets upset for being treated like a free whore deserves what she gets for acting like one.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:55PM
I leave a couple twenties on the bedside table before leaving her in the hotel room.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday August 10 2017, @03:35AM
Since when has "appear to have money and power" been free? Prostitution is cheaper.
And what makes you think mandatory ostentatious displays of money and power just to have sex is less morally problematic than legal prostitution?
I see you really care about prostitute exploitation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @04:38PM (1 child)
This is the country where an argument "It will encourage them to be promiscuous!" against the HPV vaccine is within the Overton window.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @06:06PM
haughty criticism from someone who shills for pharmaceutical companies.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Wednesday August 09 2017, @07:08PM (6 children)
Puritanism: the nagging fear that someone, somewhere, is having fun.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @09:33PM (5 children)
Right, you think the hooker is having fun? Are you fucking retarded or something?
Yeah this is 'fun', that is 'fun', then people who don't have 'fun' have to deal with long term effects of your 'fun', from drug epidemic, crime waves spawned from them, STDs galore, DWIs. But it's OK because it's just 'fun' and we all should loosen up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @10:11PM
"Right, you think the hooker is having fun? Are you fucking retarded or something?"
Most people, most of the time, probably are not having fun on their job. Hookers just get paid more for it.
And yes, some really do enjoy it. http://thehappyhookerdocumentary.com/ [thehappyhookerdocumentary.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 09 2017, @11:31PM
Maybe, maybe not. Some people enjoy their work, you know. Some people actually chose professions that they truly enjoy. Also, some women enjoy sex. I know, that's an anti-puritan point of view, but some women enjoy sex a little, others enjoy sex a lot, some few women just can't get enough sex.
You can easily make a case that a woman who has been a prostitute for years may not enjoy her job as much. But, stories have been published about part time Las Vegas prostitutes who say that they actually do enjoy the experience.
How about this idea? There is probably an entire spectrum of reasons and motivations to become a prostitute. For some, the fun and adventure may wear off very quickly. For others, the fun may last for years. Maybe if you find some old prostitutes, you can interview them, to learn how their careers have gone, and when the fun ends.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday August 10 2017, @09:39AM
The point you seem to be obstinately dodging is that the STDs, drugs, slavery etc are made worse by prohibition, not better.
It's not like there aren't a hundred jurisdictions around the world with varying degrees of legality around sex work to draw data from either. This isn't "opinion" or "conjecture", it's proven best practise: If you want to reduce all those long term effects you talk about, then you need to legalise sex work, regulate and enforce safe practises, support the workers and work at reducing the stigma around the sex industry.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday August 10 2017, @11:29AM
That's not relevant. The hooker is not the only party to the transaction. Plenty of peoples' jobs are to ensure that other people have fun. That doesn't mean they get to have fun too.
Yes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 10 2017, @01:04PM
Hmm...have you ever done any sex work? Because I have. Not because I needed the money either. Some days I get a couple hundred bucks, some days I might only get ten or twenty, but I couldn't care less either way because I'm just doing it to entertain myself. The fact that people are willing to PAY for it is a bit of a turn-on to be honest.
But please, go ahead and continue trying to explain my own life to me. It's fucking hysterical.
Obviously that's not true in EVERY case, but the fact that it's a black market is a large part of the reason for that. Police don't protect "criminals". If some guy shows up at my day job and starts beating the shit out of me, security will grab him pretty quick and the cops will come throw him in jail. Prostitutes (in areas where it's not legalized) don't have security or police to come help, they're on their own. THAT is why it can be truly horrifying sometimes. And PEOPLE LIKE YOU are the only reason for it.