Legalise adult prostitution

[FutureTaoiseach]

I firmly believe our ban on adults paying other adults for sex is outdated and rooted in traditional Catholic church ideas that pleasure is 'sinful'.

I think we should go down the Dutch route and legalise it. Brothels would be legally registered, and regulated to control the spread of AIDS.

Also, they would bring in a fortune for the taxpayer by taxing them, helping the health-service, schools etc.

I agree that we should crack down hard on those forcing women and men into prostitution, but if someone is doing it voluntarily, then why not?

What do you all think?

In the UK, 58% want prostitution legalised.

[flakie]

Jeepers, you finding it *that* hard to get laid?

How about:

[FutureTaoiseach]

Jeepers, you finding it *that* hard to get laid?

How about:

LOL No actually.

I just want an end to victimless crimes based on religion.

[flakie]

Problem there is how do you define "willingly".

[idefix]

I think that legalising prostitution would be a great idea. I'd like if there was some FAS ran course which could teach about health and possibly self-defence before you could be employed in the brothels. That would help demonstrate that a person is willing and give them something to do to buy some time.

[FutureTaoiseach]

Problem there is how do you define "willingly".

Ah but we don't have a similar law in this country you see, forcing people to take jobs. So we wouldn't have the above problem.

[badinage]

I just want an end to victimless crimes based on religion.

I'm not convinced it is victimless. I believe it is degrading to both prostitutes and clients. However, I don't think something should be banned simply because it is degrading.

On the other hand, I would have thought FutureTaoiseach would be utterly opposed to something which will encourage immigration. Anyone who's been to Amsterdam a few times will have noticed how the red light district was mostly Dutch girls 5 years ago, and is almost all eastern european, asian, or african immigrants now. Strip clubs in Dublin are full of immigrants who are moved around from city to city (within the British Isles) every few weeks. I'd imagine legalised brothels would be run exactly the same way.

[drochfhuaimniú]

Actually, I think the idea bears a lot of merit.

[hiding behind a poster]

I read in the Irish Times the other week a suggestion that the selling of sexual services be decriminalized, but the buying of same be upgraded to a more serious crime - thus helping to strangle demand, while not criminalising the unfortunate women who find themselves working in the sex industry.

[JCSkinner]

I read in the Irish Times the other week a suggestion that the selling of sexual services be decriminalized, but the buying of same be upgraded to a more serious crime - thus helping to strangle demand, while not criminalising the unfortunate women who find themselves working in the sex industry.

Classic Irish Times reader response.
This is a Catholic hangover. We should implement legalised red light districts to stem the increase of people trafficking that Ruhama keeps banging on about (without providing any evidence of course.)
In addition to being a new revenue stream, bringing this industry overground might help in preventing a lot of the social problems associated with prostitution - heroin addiction, spread of STDs, pimping, intimidation of residents in affected areas, etc.
Prostitutes in Holland have their own union apparently, and it is open to the African and Eastern European girls in their red light districts too. More protection for the women who work in the sex industry is best supplied not only by decriminalising their activities, but by allowing them to function in a public, policed, regulated and taxed manner.