should prostitution be legalised?
100755
no, more disease, drugs, troubled kids.
821896
Ummmmm... that's a toughy.  I know that being without belief in gods is one of the last viewpoints that is freely discriminated against ... I also support GLBT rights, but that's becoming more vogue these days.  I'm pro-choice and I know that rubs a lot of people the wrong way.  Hm.... I don't think prostitution should be illegal and... um...... I prefer pajama pants to any other leg-wear.
561595
Anything that becomes ill-legal creates curiosity and hunger.so if this issue gets legalised,it shall be more easy to run it as a profession and the crime attached to it shall decrease.The interests of the professionals here shall be safe guarded.
749692
Make it legal, that would do away with the "bad" parts of prostitution.  The very few areas of the US and the countries of the world that allow prostitution handle it very well.
67803
It should be legalized.\nIt should be controlled as is alcohol(over 21, strict driving laws, etc.).\nIt should be taxed as are alcohol and tobacco which will provide additional revenue to the states.\nThe legalization will allow law enforcement and the courts to concentrate on more dangerous drugs and more serious crimes.  The legalization will also help to alleviate some of the overcrowding in our jails and prisons, an additional savings to the taxpayers.
789302
It is not a federal issue.  It is up to the states to make prostitution legal or not.  That is inherently a matter of state law.  Nevada is the only state that I am aware of that has decriminalized prostitution in all but Clark County (Las Vegas).  It is still highly regulated for the safety of the customers.  Now that they're legal, the brothels have to pay taxes and comply with health requirements like latex condoms every time.  One brothel (Mustang Ranch, I think) was seized by the IRS because they did not accurately report their income.  So there are some detriments to being legal.
24032
Yes, marijuana should be legalized.  If you were to put the stats together, you would see that many, many more rapes, murders, thefts, assaults, fatal car crashes, deadly occupational accidents, and various other crimes have been committed under the influence of alcohol.  Recently, a young man was arrested for murdering his mother. His line of defense was that he was under the influence of Marijuana.  Marijuana does not make one aggressive in the least. Anyone that does or has smoked will testify to that. Marijuana has a relaxing effect, not to mention its medicinal benefits.  As for prostitution, it should also be legalized. It is THE oldest profession in the WORLD. You cannot put a restriction on ones body.  The only way to stop it would be to eliminate one of the sexes. Just my guess, but there would probably be a drop in sex crimes and sexually transmitted diseases if prostitution were to become legal.  THE ONLY REASON NEITHER OF THESE THINGS ARE LEGAL, IS BECAUSE OUR GOVERNMENT CANT FIGURE A WAY TO CONTROL OR TAX THEM. (Like cigarettes and alcohol. Which by the way is two very high contributors to our mortality rate here in America.)  Hence the war against them.
1155415
NO, drugs should not be legalised. Drugs are not solution to any problem nor they give any pleasure. They just drag brain from realty to illusion.
101097
There are so many reasons why I think it would be beneficial. I'd also like to say that this issue is VERY different from legalizing drugs. The 'oldest proffession' I believe, will never go away. Unlike drugs, humans are hard wired to copulate, we have no basic need to abuse drugs.\n\n1. You can regulate and tax it. That would in turn would provide for medical checkups and keep std's in check. Revenue would increase for the city/state and less std's will also save the city/state money.\n\n2. It would clean up the streets. Prostitutes would not be seen on the streets nor would pimps. Very stiff penalties for anyone prostituting without a license on the street. Property values would surely benefit.
802726
Choosing who to have sex with, as long as you do not hurt them and it is consensual, seems to be a basic right.  Say I go out to a bar and buy a lady a drink, and we end up having sex (assume soberly decided and consensual) that night.  Any interference in that would seem to be an infringement of our rights.  Who you relate to and what you consensually decide upon doing is, if you are going to posit rights, a very basic right.  \n\nWhat would we say if the government stepped in and arrested us for having consensual sex because i bought her that drink?  People would be outraged and it would be called an infringement of basic rights.  But if I gave her $50, all of a sudden its a whole different story.  Its not so much about having sex as a basic right as it is about two consenting adults having the basic right to have relations with each other however they choose. \n\nFRAGINAL: who are you to decide what counts as exploitation for another person?  yes there are some women who are exploited and there are some who are not.  Shouldn't it be the woman's call if prostitution is exploiting her?  By telling her what counts as exploitation and what doesn't you're contradicting the whole point of ending exploitation: respecting another person as autonomous and rational, capable of making their own decisions.  \n\nchainreaction: amen! i couldn't have said it better.\n\nTriplestar: 1:surely basic human rights include a right to do with your body as you choose? and to freely and consensually relate with other adults?\n2: prostitution means the exchanging of money or goods for sexual favors\n3: Basic human rights must include the right to freely relate with other consenting adults, and the giving of gifts or money is no more morally relevant to this than is the giving of emotional support or other "goods."  Maybe even less so since emotional connections tend to cause even more harm when they are lost.\n4:So yes, the right to have sex with another human being for money seems to be as basic a human right as having sex for pleasure, or emotional connections, or presents, etc.\n\nProstitution is no more inherently violates the right to live without force than any other form of work does.  I think you're the one that needs to rethink this.  You seem to be assuming that no person can freely choose to be a prostitute without any type of force or slavery involved.  The law on this issue, like so many other issues, is so warped by tradition, power, and misunderstanding that whether or not something is legal has no bearing on whether or not its moral.  In so far as prostitution exploits and enslaves, I totally agree, it should be outlawed.  But when it is freely chosen and consensual, it does seem to reflect a basic right: the right to bodily privacy and autonomy.
1050192
I think prostitution is wrong, bad & unhealthy. But even if prostitution is a BAD choice, it should still be a LEGAL choice.\n\nAnd I also feel we could limit & control prostitution better if it were legal. Child prostitution would be easier to find & stop.  Prostitutes could more easily report rapists as Johns could report on theft. We could mandate STD checks. And lets not forget additional revenue for Uncle Sam!\n\nAgain, I think prostitution is a disgusting choice, but it should still be the individuals choice in a free society.
654402
I agree.  Women should also be able to marry multiple men.  This is just the legislation of morality, and there is no victim, as long as the participants are all of legal age.  We have legalized a lot of other things (such as domestic partners and sodomy), and there is no real reason in my mind for this last holdout.  If you are going to legalize some of it, you might was well legalize it all.
464100
There is a value for humans if it was legal for them to be sold.  See the old days when they sold and bought slaves.  They still do charge prices for the illegal human marketing of prostitutes and other such activities.
422901
First of all, the Constitution does NOT guarantee the "pursuit (or persuit) of happiness".  That expression appears in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence.  On substance, I doubt very much time and energy is spent in enforcing laws relating to prostitution in relation to other offenses. Finally, will you admit to any role for morality in criminal law?  I mean, take laws relating to age of consent -- why is consensual sex illegal for, say, 15 year olds but not 16 year olds?  In other words, how do you draw a line?
587349
Certain countries in Europe have legalized it and have had no adverse effects.  Others have had problems.  It primarily depends on the culture of the people there.  It can dramatically reduce the occurance of STD's by instituting mandatory monitoring and treatment as well as control standards (i.e. condoms, cleanliness quidelines).  It would reduce adult trafficing beccause the need would be filled legally.  As for child prostsitution, that's a completely different game and the legalization of adult prostitution would hve little to no impact on it.
312683
I definately think it should be legalised for medical use but it really can mess up your head if you use it all the time....it totally slows down you reactions, can make you paranoid and so on....i don't think once in a while hurts but if it is legalised in needs seriously regulating so people dont go too far.\n\nHope yr good now
239286
People need someone to tell them right from wrong Amanalda? Isn't that what your parents were supposed to teach you when you were a kid? Do you honestly think the morals of this country aren't screwed up as it is? Prostitution isn't called the oldest profession in the book for nothing. It's been around since before Jesus was born. Why not go ahead and make it legal? Evidently there's not a big issue in Nevada. It generates revenue for the state and takes it off of street corners and back alleys, regulating it and making it safer. Sex workers in Nevada have to be tested monthly so it would stop the spread of STDs in prostitutes, who pass it to their customers, who pass it to someone else, etc. If that's someones chosen career, more power to them I guess. At least they're not sitting home collecting welfare. Look at the issue in black & white--isn't a housewife just a prostitute when it comes down to it? Or is it ok because she's a maid & cook and just prostitutes on the side?