Catholic Bishop Backs Brothel Regulation (i.e. LEGALIZATION)

[francesco920]

YLegalizing prostitution legitimizes it in the eyes of the public. It leads to more prostitution, not less of it. The ideal should be that there should be as little as possible. That ideal cannot be reached if the primary means of combating this evil has been removed.

EXACTLY. This is precisely what happened with the legalization of abortion. The abortion rate went through the roof. Millions more of babies have been killed since it became readily available, and many of women have been scarred for life as well.

Legalization will only cause this vile business to be able to expand greatly, thus leading to the exploitation of many, many more women. And, it leads to moral decay of the entire population since it’s out in the open. The temptation to use prostitutes will become much greater if there are no more penalties.

 

[bpbasilphx]

I have nothing but pity in my heart for a woman (or man, for that matter) so down on her (his) luck and so down on herself (himself) that s/he feels s/he has to sell her (his) body to survive.

But I also have nothing but contempt and indignation in my heart for pimps of either sex who prosper from the affliction and oppression of others.

 

[francesco920]

But I also have nothing but contempt and indignation in my heart for pimps of either sex who prosper from the affliction and oppression of others.

Amen. Make the penalty 10 years in prison without parole, life in prison if there is also sexual abuse involved, strictly enforce that, and you’ll see a decline in prostitution.

 

[Steeltemplar]

I have nothing but pity in my heart for a woman (or man, for that matter) so down on her (his) luck and so down on herself (himself) that s/he feels s/he has to sell her (his) body to survive.

But I also have nothing but contempt and indignation in my heart for pimps of either sex who prosper from the affliction and oppression of others.

I agree. There should also be harsh penalties for customers. Simple economics shows that if the demand dries up then the business will fail. So if we can dissuade people from buying sex then it will go a long way towards minimizing prostitution.

Legalizing it, though, will have the opposite effect. If prostitution becomes openly and legally available then it will cause an increase in demand because people who previously would not have been customers either because of legal reasons or because it was not convenient would become interested.

I saw this very interesting article on Lifesite which shows how Sweden’s system of criminalizing the buying of sex has apparently been very successful:

lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07111506.html

 

[chevalier]

There is a certain logic involved when previously illegal activites become legal and regulated: first they open shop on Main street. Then they advertise. Then they gain access to schools - after all, can’t keep the poor dears in the dark about “viable lifestyle options”. Naturally since teachers are unprepared to discuss the nuances, college level courses need to be prepared (as they’re already given for credit to learn about pornography and various other forms of hedonism - credit being given for actual participation of course).

Once the universities buy into it, naturally it’ll be OK for the students to experience the joy of doing something they love and getting paid for it. Since it’s legal and OK, what’s to stop people from bartering tuition for sex? That’s one way to pay for the rising costs of education…

And so and and so forth until it’s in our faces and unavoidable - this is how both evil and good operate: each side seeks totality. This is how Sodom eventually got to the point where the townsfolk were demanding Lot to give them the ‘visitors’ to abuse - they demanded it.

Augustine’s era saw legalized prostitution as an already ancient custom. He wasn’t living in an era where it was illegal, but in a place where it was a basic part of the economy. Whole nuther ball game here. We either resist it or we capitulate to an entirely anti-Christian concept of law and life.

One danger of legalised prostitution is that it may lead to such situations in which refusing a job offer from a brothel forfeits welfare rights for the unemployed… And I’m not talking about a man who won’t become a pimp. I’m talking about the women here. Germany has already faced such a problem, for all I know leading to a change of law.

And university students already frequently employ prostitution as a way of raising funds in some places. If not working at a brothel, then going to paid dates. If not immediately sleepover dates, then at least with some sex included in the longer run. If not that, then “sponsored” relationships. And if not that, then at least finding a rich boyfriend for strictly economical reasons, providing sex to him. This doesn’t mean male students don’t do that actually.

 

[Gregory_Carlin]

One danger of legalised prostitution is that it may lead to such situations in which refusing a job offer from a brothel forfeits welfare rights for the unemployed… And I’m not talking about a man who won’t become a pimp. I’m talking about the women here. Germany has already faced such a problem, for all I know leading to a change of law.

And university students already frequently employ prostitution as a way of raising funds in some places. If not working at a brothel, then going to paid dates. If not immediately sleepover dates, then at least with some sex included in the longer run. If not that, then “sponsored” relationships. And if not that, then at least finding a rich boyfriend for strictly economical reasons, providing sex to him. This doesn’t mean male students don’t do that actually.

In Holland the girls lose their unemployment if they decide not ‘to work’ in a brothel they are already at.

In Germany they send vulnerable girls to premises legally ‘used as brothels’ ( bar, restaurant) and threaten to cancel welfare benefits if they don’t take the job.

Strictly speaking the girls are sent to brothels as waitresses or bar staff or cleaners etc. In terms of the German brothels getting access to exploitable girls who have no money, it is an easy state-sanctioned piece of trickery.

The United Kingdom also has similarly depressing problems. The DWP & Jobcentre are more than happy to send teenage girls to work in illegal sex outlets in Britain.

The British have a deceptive way of doing things. The Germans and Dutch are at least more open about it. Civil servants in Britain will advise foreign pimps how not to attract police attention.

The Bishop’s legalization argument is therefore not only morally questionable but essentially superfluous because many hundreds of tolerated brothels already exist in Britain.

The pimps want to legally advertise, and to recruit via the media and to be able to add value to their ‘investments’. For example, in New Zealand they could advertise human breast milk.

Gregory Carlin

Irish Anti-Trafficking Coalition