Should prostitution be legalized?

Originally posted by Wajoma
You haven't clarified when two willing parties make the jump from a voluntary exchange of value for value to being a perpetrator and a victim. Is it because of drug addiction? (Addiction is a choice, there is not one 'addiction' that has not been beaten) Then if it is illegal to purchase sex from a drug addict or needy troubled person then it should also be ...[text shortened]... alue.

Prostitution was legalised recently in NZ, it was an utter non-event.

I can tell you this.

If your daughter was a drug addict, and had regular unwanted sex with insensitive and unsavory brutes to support her habit, I would defend neither her freedom to keep demeaning herself, nor the freedom of the brutes to selfishly have sex with her.

Evidently, you would.

However, because criminalising the selling of sex makes the position of prostitutes worse, I think it is (possibly) a better idea to criminalize the buying of sex.

Originally posted by Pawnokeyhole
I can tell you this.

If your daughter was a drug addict, and had regular unwanted sex with insensitive and unsavory brutes to support her habit, I would defend neither her freedom to keep demeaning herself, nor the freedom of the brutes to selfishly have sex with her.

Evidently, you would.

However, because criminalising the selling of sex makes ...[text shortened]... n of prostitutes worse, I think it is (possibly) a better idea to criminalize the buying of sex.

What if my daughter were a drug user, but not an addict, and if she had regular, wanted sex with men you would think are insensitive and unsavory brutes and accepted money for it?

Originally posted by Pawnokeyhole
I can tell you this.

If your daughter was a drug addict, and had regular unwanted sex with insensitive and unsavory brutes to support her habit, I would defend neither her freedom to keep demeaning herself, nor the freedom of the brutes to selfishly have sex with her.

So basically all society should pay the price for my inability to teach my daughter right from wrong?

What if my daughter has a hard time driving ...should all people should not be allowed to drive? If my daughter runs up credit cards then should we ban credit cards? If my daughter likes to burn the flag of her country we should make flag burning illegal? If my daughter has a problem with drinking and driving we should ban parking lots at all bars and taverns?

You need to ask yourself...how much do you want the government to parent your child and how many freedoms do you want to give up for it to do it? In truth...the less the government does the better.