Morality is not interchangeable with religion. Morality is an issue of humanity and as such the church has its views but it is not an exclusively religious issue. Morality is just deciding which is consider 'right' or 'wrong'. Not really criticising your post here, just clarifying that morality is not a religious perogative.

That said the practicalities of your argument are quite spot on - If you legalise pornography to the extent of paying people to have sex on film, there is very little real difference between that an prostitution assuming a given level of consent between the parties involved.

To legalise one and not the other is an incredible display of hypocricy no matter which side of the argument you stand on.

Me? I'm from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Prostition is legal here in licensed brothels (street-walking is still illegal but it isn't as prevalent as most sex workers work the in aforementioned licensed brothels). We experience no social ills as a result of this (not saying we have no ills in our society, simply expressing there are none as a result of legal prostitution), there is no 'crack smoking whore' stereotype here. It is flat out just not that big a deal... so much so I dare say many Victorians aren't even really aware prostitution is legal here.

Wow, Davious, I am shocked by your posts but it's nice to know you have an open mind and you make very valid points, too.

I agree with mostly everyone else, very good points posted.

I see no problem with it. It adds safety for the client in ensuring some health standard for the worker, it adds safety for the worker in reducing the likelihood of the trade being controlled by drug dealers and thugs, it generates taxable income to help the economy, it decreases the risk of crimes and violence which could be attributed in part to emotional imbalance brought on by unmet sexual needs, and it helps de-vilify a freaking biological process.

The only objections I see are that the practice doesn't conform to a certain person's ethics- fine, don't do it then.

To be completely frank, as an overworked woman trying to better myself, I have no time for a serious relationship and no desire for 'casual' relationships. I will admit at times to wishing I could just hire someone and have done with it.

Note: I removed the quotes and just bolded things that I want to reply to. Mainly because it just saves space and my post was already 100 miles long.

...I'm from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Prostition is legal here in licensed brothels (street-walking is still illegal but it isn't as prevalent as most sex workers work the in aforementioned licensed brothels). We experience no social ills as a result of this... there is no 'crack smoking whore' stereotype here...
I'm from Sydney, Australia where the same laws apply - so hopefully that clears up why some of my views may seem a little liberal to some.

As for the people who use those services (insert Aceley's reply here)
Sorry to disapoint, but I have never used a prostitute. I've had very few sexual partners and I'm still with the same person I started dating when I was 17.
Reading over my post from earlier, I can see how I certainly give that impression though
However, I have two friends that have been (legal) sex workers. That is why I am protective of their choices, and perhaps a little OTT when it comes to my views.

how would you feel if a little girl says, "When I grow up, I want to be a prostitute!"
I would be very concerned actually. If somebody over 21 told me it’s something they wanted to do – who am I to tell them what they should and shouldn’t do?

The last time I checked being called a whore or being one is not a good thing on its own
People aren't black and white, and a whore isn't just a whore. In the same way a bookworm isn't just a bookworm.
I've been called all sorts of things - good and bad - and last I checked they haven't defined me, even if they are true.

Sex is a private thing. Behind closed doors between a man and woman who love each other, not between two people that knew each other for 2 seconds.
Really? This may be for another debate, but I disagree completely. Sex should be fun - whatever that means to you.
Why do people think that you have to know somebody intimately before you have sex with them? What about the excitement of mystery?

I respect a snail more than I would respect a sex worker
That's harsh, and I seriously don't know if you're being serious. Though judging by the tone of the rest of your post, I'm guessing you are.
There are many people that I respect less than a snail - those include paedophiles, rapists, murderers.
Somebody that is earning money doing something they love (as I imagine it is for some high-class sex workers) should be applauded
Somebody that is forced into a trade for reasons out of their control and can see no escape (as I imagine it is for some street walkers) should be helped - not ignored.

I don't see how I could feel anything except sympathy for women in the sex industry. When I think about the economical and psychological conditions that usually make women turn to that line of work, how couldn't I? I suppose in a way that could be considered "looking down" at them, but I don't think I disrespect them at all.
I don't disagree with this point of view, as such, but I do want to add that not all women suffer in this job.
I'm not ignorant of all the horrible things that go on - in Australia and abroad - however.


I'd go far enough to say that very young beautiful women who marry extremely old wealthy men are no different from prostitutes in any way either.
I agree that gold diggers are similar in many ways to prostitutes - both are simply exchanging commodities in a mutually beneficial manner.

I find their choice in money earning a very bad choice. They couldn't get a job as a resturant worker or something simple? It's not like it's a talent only few people can master, it's human nature.
I know this post is getting way, waaay too long. So I'll keep this one brief.
1. It's not always simple to get a job outside of prostitution - especially if it's the only job you've ever really known.
2. Some people are much better sexual partners than others. One can certainly improve their skills in this area.

I'd also like to point out that ancient Athens was the place that founded democracy, and they had state operated brothels in the city, they considered them to be safer for prostitutes, plus they could set a "maximum amount" that could be charged and levied a tax on it all (not saying we should put a price on sex with someone, unless it bringing them under the minimum wage laws which would also work).

And I would definitely not ignore someone if they worked in the sex industry. But then I wouldn't ignore someone if they were gay or had had an abortion or believed in euthanasia. We're not a perfect society, and we never will be when such prejudices remain. I have no real religion, and I'm rather glad of that because it means I don't have a book or a leader that tells me what is immoral and what isn't, I'm free to make up my own mind, and I try to be open minded as possible when it comes to people's situations.

I think it's funny b/c porn videos are legal. They are people having sex on film, and getting paid for it. How is that different? Not too different if you ask me.

I remembered about something that I heard on the news, last year I think, about an unemployed woman in Germany who was offered a job as a prostitute in a brothel when she went looking for work in the Jobs office. She turned it down and then they refused to pay her unemplyment benefits because she would not take that job. She sued them for that. I don't know how the matter was settled, but hopefully, if they ever legalize it in my country and elsewhere, they won't see it as a real job that they can impose on anyone with low income looking for work.

well you can't get sexually transmitted disease from it.

I actually don't see why people want to do it, I think most prostiutes are after drug money but the buyers...I dunno

You can get STDs regardless of who your sexual partner is, unless you take precautions first. Should we ban sex in general then? Not to mention the obvious, the participants in that perfectly legal porn video can get STDs if they don't take precautions. So, how is it different for the performers in a porno, and a prostitute and her "John"?

Quoted from acelsey

People aren't black and white, and a whore isn't just a whore. In the same way a bookworm isn't just a bookworm.
I've been called all sorts of things - good and bad - and last I checked they haven't defined me, even if they are true.

That's not my point. A bookworm reads a lot of books. That is a characteristic. A whore sleeps with a lot of people, that is also a characteristic. Of course it isn't their only one, but it is still one of them. A person is hot-headed and blows up over every little thing. No, that isn't their only characteristic, but that still doesn't make it a good thing.

Also, if it is true then how does it not define you? So if someone calls you a bitch(not saying you are one, I hope) and you know you are a bitch you aren't really a bitch because it still doesn't define you even though you agree? Then what are you then? A good, kind person?

Why do people think that you have to know somebody intimately before you have sex with them? What about the excitement of mystery?

Well, the excitement of mystery can be that that they are players that will use you only for sex. The excitement of mystery can be that they are someone who will bail on you as soon as they find out you are pregnant. The excitement of mystery is that they could be a minor. The excitement of mystery can be that they have a wife/husband at home. The excitement of mystery is that they could be a rapist, psycho, pedophile, or murderer. Hell, they can be your long lost brother or sister. The world is a very different place nowadays. Sometimes even when you think you know somebody you still find skeletons in the closet.

If somebody over 21 told me it’s something they wanted to do – who am I to tell them what they should and shouldn’t do?
If someone over 21 told you that they want to rob banks or run a bulldog fight ring it would be okay because they are adults and that's what they want to do? If I think what someone is doing is wrong I feel I have every right to tell them so, regardless of their age.

Also I agree with everyone else about the porn thing.

Porn is just tasteless media, and one porn video does the trick for many perverts, whereas active prostitution involves repeated instances posing serious threats to the women involved - I feel what they do is immoral, I figure they can still find other ways, but they don't deserve to be endangered as such - given that any customer could be the next Ted Bundy.
I think Porn is the lesser evil, but it's still not great in my opinion.

However, Alissa, what about the actors and actresses (if you want to call them that) who are engaging in sexual activity for money? Shouldn't they then be counted as prostitutes? That is what I was getting at...it is okay to get paid to have sex if you are filming it, but it is a crime, if you aren't filming it...which, makes absolutely no sense, but that is the way it is. You are looking at porn from the perspective of the consumer...look at it from the perspective of the participants. The only difference between them and prostitutes is the camera.

No, I absolutely agree with you, I think porn should also be a crime - and indeed the participants in that case are prostitutes - but when compared to prostitution, it's a lesser evil. Then there's the crap about passing it off as rights of artisitic expression between two consenting adults (in countries with such fallible laws) and also, if porn were outlawed, so would so very many films that may include non-simulated sex acts as part of the plot, and that cuts down revenue more than you'd think... and well, taxes and exports pay the government well.

To continue the theme of the sex industy, the government obviously has a place in preventing sex trafficking, but I think they have no business in prostitution. Unless those who purchase sex never sat through a sex education class, it would be impossible for them not to understand the probability of a prostitute having contracted an STD. If the STD is transmitted from the prostitute to the buyer, I wouldn't feel bad- the buyer was aware of the possibility and should have been more responsible. I see where you're coming from, but the government can't babysit prostitutes and buyers to be sure that the transactions are fair. Don't we have bigger things to worry about?

George Carlin put it best:

I don’t understand why prostitution is illegal. Selling is legal, f**king is legal. So, why isn’t it legal to sell f**king? Why should it be illegal to sell something that’s legal to give away? I can’t follow the logic. Of all the things you can do to a person, giving them an orgasm is hardly the worst. In the army they give you a medal for killing people; in civilian life you go to jail for giving them orgasms. Am I missing something?

Selling is legal, Morphine is legal (as a medical drug), but selling morphine on street corners isn't legal

Ahh yes, but that is selling morphine for a different purpose than what it is legal for!

Not really, it could just be the case that someone's in serious pain, but they refuse to go to the hospital maybe because they got injured during a crime. Also, Morphine creates physiological dependency, so in that case, it is for pain relief, so it's still used for what it's normally used for

Well, I don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet, but at what point does a lady selling sex for money stop being a whore and start being an entertainer?

I decided to wait until I was really awake and could focus before posting to this one. I think legalizing prostitution would go a long way toward eliminating some of the crimes associated with the trade, although it wouldn't be a perfect solution. There are girls working in legal brothels in Nevada who have been conned into going there by men who supposedly care for them but in reality are using them as cash cows. These men are no less pimps than the street pimp. They're just slicker about how they get their lucre. If prostitution is legalized, there should be strict protections in place for prostitutes and their clients, and I also think there should be programs in place to help prostitutes get out of the trade if that's what they desire.

Many girls and boys who wind up as prostitutes, at least in the US, are runaways trying to escape abusive situations at home. They aren't street savvy, but the pimps who pick them up and groom them are. They offer them a warm meal, a safe place to stay, and continued "protection", but of course there's a catch. Those who don't willingly succumb are often beaten and terrorized into compliance. These kids aren't people trying to choose easy money. They're victims first of their families and then of society at large. To add injury on top of injury, they are then criminalized worse than the pimps and johns who prey on them. That ought to stop.

Even some high class prostitutes often speak of feeling empty inside and having very little self respect. Whether this is because there is something inherently soul crushing about selling one's body for a living, or because of how society looks down on prostitution is something I can't answer. It could be a combination of both. Without being a prostitute, I couldn't begin to know what it's like, and I have no desire to do that. I know there are some who say they are perfectly fine with what they do, too, and I have no reason to doubt them. I've heard more of the former than the latter, however.

No, I don't look down on prostitutes. I wouldn't stop associating with someone just because I found out that's what he or she did. However, knowing the crime that often goes hand in hand with the trade, I'd be very careful about visiting them. I don't fancy being on the wrong end of a drug bust or being collateral damage when a pimp decides he hasn't been paid enough.

As much as I'd like to see a society where the weak and downtrodden don't get taken advantage of, I'm a realist. That's a pipe dream. We could be doing more to help, though, and legalization might actually do more good than harm. I agree with what others have said. There's really no difference between pornography and prostitution. To allow one and make the other illegal is hypocrisy in the extreme.

There are so many job choices that people can apply for.
If the people in the world couldn't get a job and jumped to prostitution, there would be so many jobs open today. The world isn't supposed to be nice or easy. People have to try.


Money for sex is like getting award. Do people get money/awards for blinking or drinking water? No.

In the current global economy more than ever, getting a job isn't always that easy. My brother, a responsible, straight-A student, has been applying for odd jobs for two years and has yet to be hired. You say the world isn't intended to be nice and easy, and in today's economic climate, the answers aren't always nice and easy, either. I read that even McDonald's has been turning away numerous applicants, and in that event, prostitution might be one of a person's few remaining options to pay the bills. It's not nice, it's not easy, it's not fair, but the government doesn't need to get involved.



This is a peculiar analogy . Of course people aren't presented with awards for drinking water or blinking- both are biologically necessary to sustain life. While some may claim that sex is necessary to sustain life, let the record show that thousands of people live without sex and do just fine. Sex is a commodity, and people will continue to pay for it whether it's legal or not. Why not take out the middle man and allow the government to focus on more pressing issues? Think of how many robberies and abductions could be stopped if police officers weren't wasting their time busting prostitutes.

Rabid* And let's not forget the revenue Uncle Sam would Rack up charging legal regulated Brothels, and Independent Pro's to operate? The CDC(Center for Disease Control) Would be able to test multiple employees as a Mandate in order for them to operate. Sure there will still be people trying to get a buck under the new system by trying to short cut the Tax System and Business Code, and avoid Health scans but if we gave people a choice between Clean and Legal (Emphasis on Clean and LEgal less risk to lifestyle) and Dirty Risky and majorily illegal hopefully they would opt to look out for themselves being they are going to purchase sex anyways. If the majority of the people think it's an Ethical Issue , A note of History, Pressing on others Personal Ethics and belief doesn't eliminate that which they are against if anything else its draw a bigger market for it. Besides there were many groups , private and publicly funded that were "Ethicially" and "Biblically" against Bi-Racial Marriages. Point is if you're against and it's passed, no sweat off your back you don't Pay for Sex Anyways. So let's those who do atleast have an option to at least do it safely.

Well if they want to bend down and give away their goodies for a fee, then who are we to stop them? I'll admit I find Prostitution sick but they aren't harming anybody but themselves and as someone said earlier their are bigger things to worry about.

Well, its a yes and a no for me.
I do agree that making it legal might actually help some. Maybe it will shed a little more light on their poverty and (in some cases) desperation for a job. But then again in the curent economic crisis, we might not be able to help them as much as we could in the past.
This legaization might also get rid of the pimps/traffickers that are out there. If we make it legal then maybe their role won't be as needed.
But, I have serious moral qualms about it. As you probably have noted from previous posts, I'm a die-hard Catholic and a conservative. I don't like the industry at all and I do believe there are many moral issues with it. So, then again, I don't think it should be legal. There are already a few legalized brothels (or something like that) I believe in the U.S. I think ABC did a program on this before. There are no problems at those legalized brothels, and STDs are virtually non-extistant there. So why don't people just work there? We've already allowed that.