4 ms·

I've never understood why prostitution is still illegal. A mutually acceptable transaction between two adults shouldn't be regulated.

brador 13y ago
Because it leads to trafficking.
Jun8 13y ago
There are many countries where it is legal and regulated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_law#Prostitution_legal_and_regulated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_law#Prostitution_l...).
shitlord 13y ago
I am willing to bet that in the vast majority of cases (in the US), it is exploitative to women. Women who stand on street corners and sell themselves are usually not doing it because they think of themselves as liberated. They do it because they need to make ends meet, and because if they don't, they will get in trouble with their boss. When people on HN think about prostitution, they think of escorts, not $50 hookers (or women who don't even get paid).
- kbenson 13y ago
  But how much of that is because there is no legal recourse when a prostitute is defrauded? One of the reasons for pimps is to provide protection where the law won't.
- Amadou 13y ago
  That's why in many of the countries where prostitution is legal, pimping is still illegal. On the other hand, the results of at least one study suggest that prostitutes who work with pimps earn more, work less hours and have lower rates of injury. Extreme Prelimary Study here: http://economics.uchicago.edu/pdf/Prostitution%205.pdf http://economics.uchicago.edu/pdf/Prostitution%205.pdf Note, for better or for worse, one of the authors is associated with "freakaonimcs."
- avn2109 13y ago
  This is exactly why we need legalization, transparency, regulation, and probably unionization. All those things tend to suppress the exploitative side.
- mildtrepidation 13y ago
  Your willingness to bet on this just does not help anyone. Are you on that corner? Is that your family? Do you understand, in a visceral sense, the options these people do or don't have, and does your moral indignation give more credence to your point of view than to the people who actually do this, and more perspective on their lives? And thanks for letting us know what we are discussing when we talk about prostitution. I hope we're not all as ignorant as you think we are, because many of us almost certainly know what actual prostitution is, how seedy it can be, and that "escorts" -- to which you ascribe some ridiculous notion of universal high-brow status -- is what we think of, while you're wisely pondering the true nature of the sex trade. Sorry, this is just really, really presumptuous, and I have a hard time reading it.
wahnfrieden 13y ago
It does not happen as an isolated event. You're oversimplifying.
- mildtrepidation 13y ago
  Wrong; every time it happens, it happens as an isolated event. That it happens frequently is the only thing that makes people decide it should be viewed and regulated on a higher level. The only reason prostitution is outlawed in certain places is because those places have accepted as part of their governance certain values specific to sex and its relation to commerce.
groby_b 13y ago
Because it only shouldn't be regulated between consenting adults. And those are surprisingly rare in the sex industry. I used to think the same way, and then started reading the studies. It turns out that legalized sex work increases trafficking [1], and most prostitutes actually do not consent to their work, even in countries where it is legal [2]. I'm not sure what the solution to the issue is. I am fairly certain that restrictive immigration policies give traffickers an excellent choke hold for their victims, though. [1] http://www.heart-intl.net/HEART/081004/natasha_trade.pdf http://www.heart-intl.net/HEART/081004/natasha_trade.pdf [2] http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J189v02n03_03#.UmdOi2RUNlM http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J189v02n03_03#.Um...
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  > It turns out that legalized sex work increases trafficking And sales of sugary drinks increases diabetes. Should Obama pull a Bloomberg and ban large soda sales nationwide?
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - groby_b 13y ago
    Drinking sodas is a personal choice. Being trafficked isn't.
joshAg 13y ago
that last bit seems a little extreme without limiting conditions. can you imagine legal civil contracts where the penalty for violating it in some fashion is death?

brador 13y ago

Because it leads to trafficking.

Jun8 13y ago

There are many countries where it is legal and regulated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_law#Prostitution_legal_and_regulated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_law#Prostitution_l...).

shitlord 13y ago

I am willing to bet that in the vast majority of cases (in the US), it is exploitative to women. Women who stand on street corners and sell themselves are usually not doing it because they think of themselves as liberated. They do it because they need to make ends meet, and because if they don't, they will get in trouble with their boss. When people on HN think about prostitution, they think of escorts, not $50 hookers (or women who don't even get paid).

kbenson 13y ago
But how much of that is because there is no legal recourse when a prostitute is defrauded? One of the reasons for pimps is to provide protection where the law won't.
Amadou 13y ago
That's why in many of the countries where prostitution is legal, pimping is still illegal. On the other hand, the results of at least one study suggest that prostitutes who work with pimps earn more, work less hours and have lower rates of injury. Extreme Prelimary Study here: http://economics.uchicago.edu/pdf/Prostitution%205.pdf http://economics.uchicago.edu/pdf/Prostitution%205.pdf Note, for better or for worse, one of the authors is associated with "freakaonimcs."
avn2109 13y ago
This is exactly why we need legalization, transparency, regulation, and probably unionization. All those things tend to suppress the exploitative side.
mildtrepidation 13y ago
Your willingness to bet on this just does not help anyone. Are you on that corner? Is that your family? Do you understand, in a visceral sense, the options these people do or don't have, and does your moral indignation give more credence to your point of view than to the people who actually do this, and more perspective on their lives? And thanks for letting us know what we are discussing when we talk about prostitution. I hope we're not all as ignorant as you think we are, because many of us almost certainly know what actual prostitution is, how seedy it can be, and that "escorts" -- to which you ascribe some ridiculous notion of universal high-brow status -- is what we think of, while you're wisely pondering the true nature of the sex trade. Sorry, this is just really, really presumptuous, and I have a hard time reading it.

wahnfrieden 13y ago

It does not happen as an isolated event. You're oversimplifying.

mildtrepidation 13y ago
Wrong; every time it happens, it happens as an isolated event. That it happens frequently is the only thing that makes people decide it should be viewed and regulated on a higher level. The only reason prostitution is outlawed in certain places is because those places have accepted as part of their governance certain values specific to sex and its relation to commerce.

groby_b 13y ago

Because it only shouldn't be regulated between consenting adults. And those are surprisingly rare in the sex industry. I used to think the same way, and then started reading the studies. It turns out that legalized sex work increases trafficking [1], and most prostitutes actually do not consent to their work, even in countries where it is legal [2]. I'm not sure what the solution to the issue is. I am fairly certain that restrictive immigration policies give traffickers an excellent choke hold for their victims, though. [1] http://www.heart-intl.net/HEART/081004/natasha_trade.pdf http://www.heart-intl.net/HEART/081004/natasha_trade.pdf [2] http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J189v02n03_03#.UmdOi2RUNlM http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J189v02n03_03#.Um...

w1ntermute 13y ago
> It turns out that legalized sex work increases trafficking And sales of sugary drinks increases diabetes. Should Obama pull a Bloomberg and ban large soda sales nationwide?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- groby_b 13y ago
  Drinking sodas is a personal choice. Being trafficked isn't.

joshAg 13y ago

that last bit seems a little extreme without limiting conditions. can you imagine legal civil contracts where the penalty for violating it in some fashion is death?