Prostitution

I heard something on the radio the other day about the police being a little taken back by the fact that the Swedish law that makes buying sexual services illegal hasn't done much good since it was first introduced ten years ago. Surely, this says something? It's a need that isn't going away because it's an incredibly basic one, and legislating against it obviously does absolutely no good. personally (and I don't think a lot of those who know me will be surprised here), I would like to see it allowed. I see absolutely no reason whatsoever for it to be illegal. After all, we pay people we don't know to perform a service in every other aspect of our lives; we go to the doctors when we're sick, leave our kids at the kindergarden, we pay people to drive us where we want, to cut our hair, to cook our food...why not pay them to get us off. Really, it's that simple. It's interesting to think about why most people want prostitution banned. Most people would probably say that the business is a very destructive one for the women in it, which is often -often, but not always- true, but I eprsonally think it's more about the agenda that women aren't supposed to be in charge of their sexuality. People don't want to accept that women might actually LIKE providing this sevice. It's the oldest profession in the world for a reason.It is true that the business today most likely attracts people that are emotionally unwell or are being forced into it and it can be a very destructive business, I'm sure. However, it *can* be done in other ways.

The state of Nevada allows prostitution and currently has 28 active brothels. Nevada law requires that registered brothel prostitutes be tested weekly (by a cervical specimen) for gonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis, and monthly for HIV and syphilis; furthermore, condoms are mandatory for all oral sex and sexual intercourse. Brothel owners may be held liable if customers become infected with HIV after a prostitute has tested positive for the virus. Hygiene is extremely thorough and all customers are obliged to bring their health certificate. This takes the business off the street hence minimalizes the risks of violence, rape and drug abuse (note the use of the word drug ABUSE, as opposed to just drug use). It's one hundred per cent obvious to me that it should be treated like any other business and thast sex workers should have thge same benefits as everybody else -even their own union movement. Some maya rgue that this makes sex clinical, but here's a newsflash: sex and love doesn't have to go together. They can, but they don't have to. And what's to say that the people buying it don't actually have the emotions with it just because they're paying for it? It's about time we started people living the way they want without moralizing so much.