Canadian Supreme Court strikes down prostitution laws

[Wiglaf]

Asher did you ever get a poor grade in a comp sci class?

[Asher]

No.

[Boris Godunov]

Common sense. Consenting adults should have the right to **** each other for any reason they choose, even the exchange of money for services.

[notyoueither]

The problem is the way that many women and maybe some men come to be consenting in these transactions.

[Boris Godunov]

The problem is the way that many women and maybe some men come to be consenting in these transactions.

Consenting implies free of coercion. Just because someone agrees to have sex doesn't mean they are legally consenting to do so.

[notyoueither]

A person who is isolated, abused, drugged and raped may be coerced into prostitution. Years later that person may not need to be coerced into further acts of prostitution, but it wasn't a pretty road to get there.

The market for these transactions encourages further acts to break new girls into it, and by that pimps and human traffickers almost literally do break people to get them into it.

Stopping that process would be a laudable effort. Condemning those already in the trade to unsafe conditions to try to keep a lid on it is not.

[Ben Kenobi]

No! How are you going to protect the sanctity of marriage if now husbands can go and **** whores whenever they feel like! It'll lead to the downfall of modern society!

Apparently human trafficking is now legal in Canada. Fantastic job, Canada!

[Boris Godunov]

A person who is isolated, abused, drugged and raped may be coerced into prostitution. Years later that person may not need to be coerced into further acts of prostitution, but it wasn't a pretty road to get there.

Well, that's a shame, but if the individual is now free of coercion but still choosing to engage in prostitution as a means of earning income, that should be her right. Coercion into sex should always be illegal, no one is suggesting that changes. But there are also prostitutes who enter the trade willingly and without such a history. Prohibiting all prostitution to attack what is a separate legal issue (coercion/rape) is senseless.

The market for these transactions encourages further acts to break new girls into it, and by that pimps and human traffickers almost literally do break people to get them into it.

The market for prostitution has always and will always exist, particularly in any society that has pretense for being free. Focus on jailing pimps and traffickers, not prostitutes and their clients. Legalizing and regulating prostitution will go a long way towards protecting them, both from pimps and infectious diseases.

Stopping that process would be a laudable effort. Condemning those already in the trade to unsafe conditions to try to keep a lid on it is not.

"Keep a lid on it?" What are you talking about? Legalizing prostitution isn't "keeping a lid" on anything, it's the only sane route to actually addressing the problem of coercion/trafficking in prostitution. Legal prohibition is what is actually exacerbating the unsafe conditions.

[Berzerker]

I gotta believe places with legal prostitution have less violence than places banning it, but I dont know about trafficking. Seems like that would depend on how much the law cracks down on it, I'd bet the level of enforcement is the determining factor. I'll do some googling

maybe

[Berzerker]

Prohibiting all prostitution to attack what is a separate legal issue (coercion/rape) is senseless.

Reefer Madness used collective guilt, so does God

[notyoueither]

Well, that's a shame, but if the individual is now free of coercion but still choosing to engage in prostitution as a means of earning income, that should be her right. Coercion into sex should always be illegal, no one is suggesting that changes. But there are also prostitutes who enter the trade willingly and without such a history. Prohibiting all prostitution to attack what is a separate legal issue (coercion/rape) is senseless.

We agree.

The market for prostitution has always and will always exist, particularly in any society that has pretense for being free. Focus on jailing pimps and traffickers, not prostitutes and their clients. Legalizing and regulating prostitution will go a long way towards protecting them, both from pimps and infectious diseases.

There is the Nordic model. Criminalise buying sex. I haven't looked into a great deal, but apparently Sweden has been successful in dramatically cutting down on demand.

"Keep a lid on it?" What are you talking about? Legalizing prostitution isn't "keeping a lid" on anything, it's the only sane route to actually addressing the problem of coercion/trafficking in prostitution. Legal prohibition is what is actually exacerbating the unsafe conditions.

"Keeping a lid on it" (prostitution) has been the approach up to now. Prostitution itself has been legal for some time. Federal laws were aimed at supressing it by making activities around it illegal, largely unsuccessfully, and as the SC has just ruled unconstitutionally at the expense of the safety of prostitutes.

[Berzerker]

hmm...its legal to sell sex but illegal to buy? I imagine that cuts down on supply too and keeps it more hidden

just seems morally illogical

[notyoueither]

Yeah, I don't know that it is a good idea, only that there are claims that it has reduced the size of the market while not endangering sex workers. They views the prostitutes as victims and the Johns as victimisers.

[Boris Godunov]

hmm...its legal to sell sex but illegal to buy? I imagine that cuts down on supply too and keeps it more hidden

just seems morally illogical

Absolutely. It makes no sense to legalize the selling of sex while criminalizing its purchase. And it certainly doesn't make any sense to think that such an arrangement would reduce demand when it being illegal on both fronts hasn't done so.

The purchase of sexual services should be legal for the same reason as selling it: free contract between consenting adults.

[BlackCat]

There is the Nordic model. Criminalise buying sex. I haven't looked into a great deal, but apparently Sweden has been successful in dramatically cutting down on demand.

Please call it the Swedish model - they are the only one that has implemented it, and it isn't working that well. Demand may have gone down but instead of being public, it has gone undeground with all the disadvantages it has for the men and women in the trade.

Here in Denmark it has been discussed to go the same way but has been refused.