Prostitutes and Politics Why is it still illegal to pay for sex?

Reason Online ^ | May 7, 2007 | Cathy Young

[Lusis]

The resignation of Randall Tobias, the chief of the Bush administration's foreign aid programs, for "personal reasons" following the revelation that he had engaged the services of two escort-service workers has provided rich grist for amusement on the punditry circuit. There was indeed plenty of material for humor in the situation, from Tobias's strong stand in favor of abstinence teaching in AIDS prevention programs to his "I didn't inhale"-style assertion that he never had sex with the women. But the predictable laughs have obscured a much larger issue than hypocrisy in the ranks of social conservatives. The reason Tobias's call-girl adventures became public is that the owner of the Washington, DC-based service, Pamela Martin, is facing prosecution and has turned her records over to news organizations to help pay for her legal defense.

Even those who feel a certain schadenfreude at Tobias's downfall should be asking the question: should there have been a criminal case in the first place?

[wideawake]

Perhaps because trafficking in human flesh is bad policy as well as immoral.

[taxed2death]

Man has always paid for sex. One way or another.

[edcoil]

Actually we are asking why the list was not published with the rest of the names.

[Little Ray]

Then there is the disease vector issue...

[KenD]

More specficially, it has always been legal to pay for sex. It is only illegal to do so in SOME circumstances.

[panaxanax]

Taxes.

The government is worried about getting their “cut”. If health were an issue, cigarettes and booze would be outlawed.

[Dr. Thorne]

It is illegal to pay for sex because our very existence as a nation relies on the Judeo-Christian values that formed us. Using the letter of the Constitution to legalize destructive, immoral activities is suicide and worthy of the Clintons, Reids and Pelosis of this world. The men who wrote that Constitution would never allow legalized prostitution, but the Libertarians don’t care about that truth or the outcome of such an action, preferring the purity of their philosophy over the death and destruction it surely brings.

[OB1kNOb]

I thought politicians and prostitutes were one and the same. I’ve been paying the government for years and getting screwed royally for it.

[weegee]

The government doesn’t see a cut of all that baby sitting money earned by school girls. Underaged employees administering unlicensed childcare.

[Phantom Lord]

Prostitution is nothing more than sex and commerce.

To those opposed to prostitution, which of those are you opposed to?

[Red Badger]

Man has always paid for sex. One way or another.

Marriage or divorce, either way, you pay............

[mkjessup]

It is illegal to pay for sex because our very existence as a nation relies on the Judeo-Christian values that formed us. Using the letter of the Constitution to legalize destructive, immoral activities is suicide and worthy of the Clintons, Reids and Pelosis of this world. The men who wrote that Constitution would never allow legalized prostitution, but the Libertarians don’t care about that truth or the outcome of such an action, preferring the purity of their philosophy over the death and destruction it surely brings.

BRAVO. You could not have stated it more clearly and concisely. My hat is off to you Doc.

[JamesP81]

Prostitutes and Politics Why is it still illegal to pay for sex?

Because the pols can't think of a good way to regulate and tax it and still keep the prices of the "services" high enough to make it worthwhile, just to be blunt. The govt no longer has any interest in the moral aspects of it...

[1Old Pro]

I thought women had control over their bodies?

If they can kill a human being in their womb it surely seems like they should be able to charge for sex.

[psychoknk]

Then there is the disease vector issue...

Did you read the article?

Another common claim is that prostitution causes direct harm by contributing to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. However, that may be the reddest herring of them all. In Australia, where sex for money is legal, the rate of HIV infection among female prostitutes is so low that prostitution has been removed from the list of known risk factors in HIV surveillance. In the U.S., reliable data are more difficult to come by, but a 1987 Centers for Disease Control study likewise found very low infection rates among prostitutes.

I'm in favor of legalizing prostitution, as it is one of those "victimless crimes." By making it illegal, it isn't like we are getting rid of it, and instead we are throwing away money at policing it. If prostitution was legal, then there would be fewer pimps, since a prostitute could go to the police for protection from Johns who beat them or don't pay (I'd wager this costs less than prosecuting and jailing them). Legislating morality will not make people any more moral, and only makes the government a bigger nanny state.

[Bigg Red]

Well said, sir!

[ClearCase_guy]

Top issues for Libertarians:

1) Surrendering to al-Quaeda
2) Opening our national borders to everyone.
3) Legalizing drugs.
4) Legalizing prostitution.

It's just hard to take the Libertarians seriously.

[1Old Pro]

The men who wrote that Constitution would never allow legalized prostitution

Would they allow legalized abortion?

[Don Corleone]

No sales our “use” tax? /sarc