To the delight of civil libertarians and libertarians alike, the Canadian courts have been leading the world in dealing with conflicts between privacy principles and morality legislation. I am serving as an expert in the review of Canadian polygamy laws in British Columbia. In the meantime, the Ontario Superior Court may allow three prostitution laws to die this Saturday.
In September, the Court struck down the laws. The federal government is charging that this is nothing short of a “social experiment unprecedented in this country.” However, it is also a frank acknowledgment that consenting adults came engage in sex for money as a consensual choice. Currently, an individual can have sex with any number of partners but can be arrested if they accept anything of value in exchange for sex. They can receive gifts as part of a “relationship” no matter how fleeting but not as payment.
The Court previously noted that criminal laws force prostitutes in the shadows where they are easy prey for abuse and even homicides. Once legal, protections and regulations can apply to the world’s oldest profession. With the demise of the laws, street walking will be legal.
Source: Star
Jonathan Turley
Dear Tony C
Thank you for your long comment
Are you a user of prostitution services?
How would you react if your daughter got a job as a prostitute?
How would you react if your son was involved with a prostitute and it seemed that a prostitute or ex prostitute might become the mother of your grandchild?
How would you feel if 5% of the women in your city aged 20 to 30 were prostitutes? What if 10% or 20% were prostitutes?
Kay I know you put a lot of time into it, and I did not, because we believe fundamentally different things. All the evils you document I believe are due to violations of the human and civil rights of prostitutes, they are due to a failure of law enforcement.
Craigslist, until harassed out of the practice recently, had tens of thousands of women independently offering “adult personal services” (sex for pay) because Craigslist is free advertising (100% free for all sorts of stuff) and Craig, the founder, offers it as a free public service for 99% of the postings (only corporations have to pay to advertise there).
Several articles have been written about “happy hookers” on Craigslist, including a book written by one such happy hooker that had a Master’s degree in something or other, but preferred the greater money and free time offered by prostitution.
The same is true for websites, law enforcement is minimal on the web, and women meet up through sex-oriented dating sites (and pitch the sex for pay bit in private).
I simply do not believe that all hookers are oppressed or mentally deficient. Except oppressed by the morality police making their profession illegal.
No I cannot provide links, and I am not going to research this for you, I don’t have time. I read *extensively* and I’ve read it, but I don’t keep a link log bibliography of everything I have read so that I can refer to easily or search it or whatever.
In any case I think you are wrong, I think if legalizing prostitution causes problems the problems are in failing to make and enforce laws that address those problems. I simply do not see how it is “right” to prohibit pay for something that
a) can be done for free as often as desired,
b) is not inherently any more harmful than having sex with a spouse.
Outlawing pay for a donated organ, or pay for suicide, maybe I can understand that. You do not inherently wake up the next morning no worse for the wear.
kay I learned a lot from reading you postings on prostitution. You seem to have taken it seriously and have done a good job. I generally agree with the Swedish position not the missionary position.
Kay, Kay, Kay.
How the press. Do you have the telephone numbers and addresses of the women that have volunteered for these types of services? If so, would you please publish them so I could help them in the trade. You seem to be well informed.
Blouise….
I also vote for HenMan’s Utopia……and thank-you 🙂
I put a lot of time into reading about prostitution policy and I took the exercise seriously. Teasing is fine and I don’t mean to be thin skinned.
In researching this blog, I found that the amount of prostitution that seems to be going on seems to be really increasing in recent years.
Since you also put time into this issue, it would be great if you would clarify your positions on the Swedish model, which they claim has reduced prostitution by 50%. That involves not penalizing the women, only the attempted customers of prostitution services.
I put a lot of time into reading about prostitution policy and I took the exercise seriously. Teasing is fine and I don’t mean to be thin skinned.
In researching this blog, I found that the amount of prostitution that seems to be going on seems to be really increasing in recent years.
Since you also put time into this issue, it would be great if you would clarify your positions on the Swedish model, which they claim has reduced prostitution by 50%. That involves not penalizing the women, only the attempted customers of prostitution services.
What do you think of the Swedish regulation?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Sweden
http://www.justicewomen.com/cj_sweden.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6343325.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11437499
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/how_sweden_cut_prostitution_in_half_20100907/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6343325.stm
Blouise,
I’d like to go, too. 🙂
I’m moving to HenMan’s Utopia and leaving no forwarding address …
LOL…..
Jokes are only truly funny if someone doesn’t have to explain them to you.
I actually thought the CUYOSA was funny.
But to keep moving forward:
Please select one of the below:
1.) In favor of legalization of prostitution with regulation
2.) In favor of making it illegal to attempt to purchase prostitution but don’t make it illegal to solicit prostitution. (The Swedish model)
3.) Don’t know
4.) Other
Kay Sieverding is in favor of # 2
HenMan responds “other”
Kay-
I will only vote on a Diebold voting machine. I know that they give you a “fair and balanced” count. I also know that President Obama is a civil libertarian, will end “DADT” and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and that Sarah Palin’s voice doesn’t shatter my eardrums.
All things are possible with the penetrating power of the double entendre, AY.
I presume that one can assume the Missionary Position regardless of the out come of this pole……
Kay-
I knew I was skating on thin ice when I submitted my little joke- but, fair enough. I will attempt to answer your question. I personally find prostitution morally repugnant in that it offends, or should offend the dignity and self-respect of both parties. In my own personal utopia there would be no prostitution- everyone would be prosperous and loved and there would be no need for prostitution. Unfortunately, the population of my own personal utopia is zero. We all have to live in the real world, and the real world is a nightmare for many people who have few choices or no choices at all. “Do I walk the streets tonight or get evicted tomorrow? Do I walk the streets or let my child (or mother, or sister, or sick husband) go hungry tonight?”. Northern Europeans have a more caring attitude about the people who need help and provide a better safety net for them. In America, our national motto is “You’re on your own, mack”. We may soon see an example of that if the heartless Republicans and their Blue Bastard allies cut off Unemployment Insurance. If I had to vote on criminalizing prostitution, I would have to ask myself, “Am I harming someone by voting for this?” The answer in America in 2010 is probably “yes”.
Tony,
In case you missed it in her reaction to CUYOSA, she’s impervious to humor as well.
I’m just sayin’ . . .
OK Here is a revised position poll
Please select one of the below:
1.) In favor of legalization of prostitution with regulation
2.) In favor of making it illegal to attempt to purchase prostitution but don’t make it illegal to solicit prostitution. (The Swedish model)
3.) Don’t know
4.) Other
I am in favor of # 2
I was joking, obviously, about your waste of time and space that will accomplish nothing. I think I have already taken a perfectly clear and reasoned public position. Also, a vote is not a “debate.”
A debate requires reasoning, a vote does not require a reason. I will also point out that rights are not supposed to be up for a majority vote in this country, so your approach to having your authoritarian oppressive moralist position validated is all wrong.
So I am making fun of it, since you are impervious to reason.
kay,
Your question is composed in a fundamentally biased way. This whole discussion has been about how to handle the issues surrounding prostitution. If you want to see what people think, reread the thread.
I came a little late to the thread, so I’ll go ahead and say: I’m in favor of legalizing it, with appropriate regulation. However, if there’s not sufficient support for that position, I think decriminalizing it would be better than the status quo.