Prostitution - where's the crime?
"The Maxim Institute and the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards (or, one might suggest, of 'theocracising
sex') should both give up trying to prohibit adults engaging in voluntary transactions for sex, and ask themselves who
benefits from putting behind bars people who are paying adults for pleasure?" announced Libertarianz Spokesman on Free
Speech Scott Wilson today.
Wilson explained: "It is perfectly legal for any two people over the age of 16 to engage in consensual sexual
activities. Why should it be a crime if they agree to exchange money or gifts as part of that? The key is that there is
no force or fraud involved in the transaction. Men and women of a wide range are
customers of prostitutes individually or in couples. Some customers are disabled or elderly, and find it difficult to
find sexual partners, so if men and women are willing to supply that pleasure at a price, what right do moral theocrats
have to lock them in prison for it?"
"In fact, some sad marriages have been seen as akin to prostitution, except there is only one client, and the payment is
made in exchange for shelter, clothing and food - however I doubt," says Wilson, "that the Maxim Institute and the SPCS
want to criminalise loveless marriages."
"Libertarianz would treat prostitution like other consensual adult sexual activity and legalise it, leaving the only
legal restrictions on the activity being the laws on rape, sexual assault, the age of consent and fraud. In addition,
there would be no GST on prostitution, or any other service," he concluded.