Legalized prostitution seems to ratify and endorse a practise that society has more or less condemned.
Here's the question that I'll pose, as I find it works the same with a lot of 'socially undesireable' things. Prostitution exists... all over the place... in every single city in Canada (and probably lots of towns too). Soliciting for sex is illegal, and yet thousands(?) of prostitutes in Canada ply their trade every night, often with police supervision, instead of hassle.
The argument in favour of legalization, I'll pose, is not whether or not we're 'accepting' prostitution in our society; its already here. Accept it or not, it exists right around the corner, and isn't showing any signs of leaving soon. Traditionally, when people in a free society really want something (sex, drugs), criminalizing the practise usually creates and promotes a black market for the product, ensuring its availability for those who crave it.
If prostitution is legalized, maybe the sex-workers could be provided with safe accomodation and supervision, including condoms, blood tests, etc., etc. It might also assist the major targets of serial killers to be slightly safer than they are now.
I definitely hear the argument against legalized drugs/prostitution as a _very_ slippery slope, but at the same time, if the 'illegal' activity is all-pervasive in society, there seem to be two options; give everyone who practises that activity a fine/jailtime/criminal record, or decriminilize the activity and allow citizens to make their own choices as to their health.
Drinking is a pretty socially irresponsible thing to do, especially when you've got bars like the Back Alley with _filled_ parking lots and _drunk_ patrons, it doesn't take a dummy to see that there's probably a lot of deadly drinking and driving going on, but do we do much about it? Put out a bus on a road and hope to rope up a few dozen rummies while the other couple hundred get away w/ it. I'd rather lose sleep over drunk-drivers than losers who need hookers to get sex.
Phew, long rant, and fairly incoherent. Interesting topic though.
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