Canadian Court: Prostitution Bans Violate National Charter
A Toronto judge struck down Canada’s prostitution laws, claiming the regulations that supposedly keep neighborhoods safe instead make it more dangerous to be a practicing sex worker.
In a case brought by Terri-Jean Bedford, “a dominatrix who was convicted in 1998 of keeping a common bawdy house,” and who goes by the name Madame de Sade, Superior Court Justice Susan Himel says prostitutes must be able to solicit customers on the street, use their homes as a place of business, and even openly hire accountants to do their taxes. She’s issued a 30-day stay on her ruling to give the Justice Department time to appeal, which we should expect: at trial, government attorneys argued decriminalizing prostitution isn’t in line with the “moral values” of Canadians.
I hope this sticks. Means people will be able to get better health care, go to the police and all the other things that might keep them healthy and safe without worrying about going to jail. Prostitution will never go away, so we might as make it as safe and organized as possible.
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The morality of prostituion (and just about every sex related issue) is a contrived concept handed down by autocratic religionist manipulators upon society. Perhaps the lack of contraceptives and prophylaxis made curbing or abstention of the oldest profession a worthy idea at one time, but, just as refrigeration moots kosher and hallal ritual, those days are past. Time entrenched tradition aside, the point of honor to which these ideas are dedicated is myth and delusion, negating any real justification for controlling others lives thus. So, it’s about time *somebody* struck such a blow for individual repsonsibility and personal freedom. I’ve never paid for or been paid, but prostituion statutes have always struck me as just plain silly and tortius.
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There’s nothing inherently morally wrong with prostitution, it’s like any business, if you provide good value, good service, hold your head up high.
If we wish to discuss making immoral jobs illegal, I suggest we begin with telemarketers.
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Yay!
I think prostitution is one of the many things which are immoral but which, nonetheless, have no business being illegal. And besides, all or nearly all of the negatives those opposed to its legalization drag out to defend the ban (drug use, human trafficking, etc) are caused, not by transacting money for sex per se, but by its illegality.