Seriously Christians, you see transactional sex between two consenting adults as worse then the rapes, abuse and murders that you are allowing to happen by keeping it illegal...
Women in sex work cannot go to the police about rapes or abuse because of their profession and that is plain and simple WRONG.
PUBLIC OPINION > Prostitution Should Be Legal
SodaHead Living
2012/07/26 21:00:00
The Global Commission on HIV and the Law issued a report suggesting that nations eliminate laws banning "consensual sex work" -- i.e., prostitution. It's an interesting claim coming from an organization aimed at preventing sexually transmitted disease, but their hope is that legalization would lead to regulation and safer practice. We asked the public if prostitution should be legal.
Nearly two-thirds of the population admitted that it thinks prostitution should be legal. However, it's important to understand that this doesn't necessarily reflect the public's moral opinion of the topic. The question is explicitly legal. Most people think it should be a choice. One commenter wrote, "By legalizing it, mandatory health screenings can be required for the safety of the prostitute and the buyer. Trying to keep it illegal only keeps the thing in the dark where roaches like to live. Bring it into the light of public attention and those roaches will scurry."
Men Are More Willing
Men Are More Willing
Should we be surprised that men were more likely to support the legalization of prostitution? Of course, the Global Commission was not referring solely to female prostitution, but it is more often thought of as a service targeted at men. Actually, the difference wasn't that big. Men were only 11% more supportive than women. Women were still more likely to support legalization than refuse it.
Christian Resistance
Christian Resistance
Religion and politics provided the biggest defenders of criminalization -- Christians and conservatives. Both demographics were significantly less supportive than the rest. Since religion and politics are often closely related, it's probably not too much of a leap to assume that religion drives this one. Allowing the nation to embrace something that Christians consider to be immoral is a tough call to make.
Older Voters Are For It
Older Voters Are For It
Typically, older voters respond similarly to conservative voters. In this case, that means we would predict the older a voter got the less willing they would be to support the legalization of prostitution. Not so. Actually, most age groups were relatively similar. The only one that stood out noticeably was the 55-64 group, and they were 11% more likely to support legalization.
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about legalizing prostitution. We'd love to hear from you!
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about legalizing prostitution. We'd love to hear from you!
Top Opinion
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Jiorgia 2012/07/26 21:30:50
"Nobody really wants to become a prostitute they do it out of necessity or desperation." -- Not true! I am a prostitute by choice.
But people share their bodies in all kinds of ways. Giving a massage, performing dental work, caring for a bedridden elderly person including changing their diapers, performing CPR on someone, etc. And yeah, that client, or person you're caring for or saving from choking or drowning could be a rapist or a murderer or anything, you don't know!
Fortunately I know of zero scientific evidence that someone's past history is going to somehow affect you just from being physically close to them. If being close to people you don't know is harmful, then the safest kind of sex would be incest, since people tend to know their family members better than they know anyone else!
Where is prostitution legal yet has still has a lot of problems compared with other professions and industries? If there are any such cases, I suspect they are due to the fact that it still isn't fully legalized, or is heavily regulated and controlled by government. All heavily regulated industries tend to have problems.
Maybe you can remind people that "prostitution" includes street sex workers and those who work in businesses like brothels. Those working in brothels don't face as much risk as the street workers. ALL sex workers should be safe.
So, so naive. Many women choose to be prostitutes and make quite a good living. In my 20s, one of my friends was escorting in Vegas. She made over 200K a year. That doesn't sound like desperation to me.
Probably more than you'd think, from what I've heard from my friends who are call boys/girls.
Plenty of women who are promiscuous don't date rich men. Also, plenty of women who aren't promiscuous only date rich men. Your analogy is flawed.
I don't know too many people who would call prostitution easy.
"Pornography" involves someone who is involved in a NONCONSENSUAL filmed/photographed sex act. that includes children, animals, and people unwilling or unaable to give consent.
Obviously, that's harmful to someone.
"Erotic literature" is a filmed/photographed sex act in which all involved are capable of giving their consent and give it.
That doesn't harm anyone.
It is a violent act of control over a woman.
rape cannot simply be cured by getting the deviate off.
If a rapist has his dick cut off, he will just get an object and rape with that.
rape has nothing to do with being horny and needing release.
I think rape should be punished with summary executions.
Alright, I wouldn't want to help the rapist know what there up against.
I hope it works.
Rape is the act of rape not the act of pay for sex.
If pay for sex is legal, people will still rape.
and everyone could participate without the fear of catching anything.
I'm sure you have.