Here's the resolution. As always, I'll vote based on the results of this off-site poll.
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Legalize prostitution
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Human Rights Strength: Strong Proposed by: Kepone

Description: As you are aware, there are citizens who get by in desperate times by selling their bodies in order to pay their bills and feed their children. Both men and women partake in this profession. If we legalized prostitution, people would be able to sell themselves to get by. In return, the government could use the money collected from taxes on prostitution income to support programs that help the poor. Prostitution is the oldest profession. Why must we make it a priority for law enforcement to monitor and arrest prostitutes when there are greater crimes out there?

Although I can only vote where there is a tie, I think I support this proposal.

I hate the way it is worded, and I think the title is all wrong. This proposal is not about "legalizing" anything. Rather, it is about giving people basic rights over their own bodies, while at the same time allowing sovereign nations to exercise how people can exercise that right.

My personal belief is that it is reasonable for the right to control you own body to exist, so long as that right is not so broad as to allow people to have the right to hurt themselves.

Personally, I think people should have the right, if they so choose, to sell a service to others. In this case, that service is of a sexual nature. I don't see what business it is of the state to outright ban the practice of allowing two consenting adults to buy and sell such services.

The beauty of this resolution, though not worded in a "professional" manner, is that it creates the right to allow people to sell such services, but does not interfere with how each individual nation shall enforce that right.

Therefore, you do have the right to engage in prostitution. However, each individual state is given incredible leeway to restrict the practice.

It allows states to

- require licences to be purchased by those selling themselves for economic regulation purposes;
- require those who engage in such conduct to submit to tests for diseases in order to ensure that the health of individuals and customers is protected;
- forbid solicitation to take place in public places or restrict it to certain zones;
- require condoms to be used on public health grounds, etc.

As such, a right to use your body as you see fit is created, but does not interfere with a government's right to regulate it so tightly that such practices are discouraged or minimized.

As such, I'm in favour of the proposal.

I tend to agree with you on this issue. I have not had the time really read over the proposal and come up with any new arguments for or against.

I do believe that you do have the right to express your opinions on UN Proposals as they dictate what happens in UN Nations. If that is not the case then we may want to revisit the constitution after the election.

What does everyone else think.

Micon

how would you tax a prositute though?

I have the right to express an opinion, but I only hold a tie-breaking vote. Where there is a tie, I am in the position to break it. Where there is no tie, I simply don't vote. We had some discussion on that, and I think everyone was in favour of this. Same thing during elections - I only vote when there is a tie.

Sybilla supports this proposition.

The fact that prostitution is the oldest profession should not be a factor in the decision-making process here. The bottom line is that there IS a so-called "vice economy", including the selling of alcohol, which people can either choose to be a part of, or not. It is up to the people to determine whether they want to be a service provider in this economy, a consumer, or take no part at all.

Going back to the alcohol example, alcohol sales are legal. By no means is anyone OBLIGATED to purchase alcohol, so people who don't want to deal with people who sell liquor simply... don't buy liquor. Likewise, people who don't want to have dealings with those in the sex trade should simply avoid the sex trade. By decriminalizing prostitution and regulating the industry, in much the same way as alcohol can only be purchased at certain places, by certain people, during certain hours, taxes can be collected and the industry can be monitored for employee safety and the safety of consumers... you can't cut your finger, as an employee, in a liquor store without someone, somewhere in government keeping a file on it. So it should be with the sex trade, for the benefit of those who would go into it as a career, and for those who would partake in the consumption of such services. This would improve the health of both providers and consumers, increase profits going directly to the providers, and provide a valuable source of income for health and welfare initiatives.

- Head of the Sybillan Bar Association

I am not in favor of this resolution.

As with most of the UN resolutions of late this is a domestic policy issue not an international issue. The UN has no jursitiction in such matters IMHO.

Prostitution is far more than a pure economic issue. I feel that most of the options expressed so far in this thread are viewing the issue from the persective of normal mature sexuallity. However, there are complex issues relating to the many sick people in the world (both Johns and prostitutes) that would now have to be regulated if the pratice is made legal. What about minors now being exposed to this practice (imagine TV ads from your local pimp).

I fully agree that the govenemnt should not have anything to do with our sex lives. But once you turn it into a business there now have to be rules and regulations. Just think of the whole new branch of the health department that would have to be created to manage this "service".

If prostitution where legalized that would make for some very weird debates in the committees that generate the detailed enforcement regulations. If they televised such meetings on Cspan I would bet the ratings would go way up. :-)

I agree with this on a libertarian basis but believe that it is an domestic issue.

I'd rather not have a UN supervised body looking into people's sex lives. Some kind of trippy UNAWHORE, is not what we need. (And before anyone gets mad at me for the word "whore" I suggest looking it up in a dictionary)

Individual countries should make their own decisions on this issue.

I am against it.

-Dunefish

The Dominion of Drunken Hosers agrees with the spirit of the motion. All people should have sovereign control of their bodies. However, we concur with others that this is a domestic issue, and not the province of the UN. Therefore, we must vote no.

so i'm new around here and all...but i dont like this...what about soverign rights?

My argument is that this resolution simply confers rights onto individuals to do what they want to their bodies.

However, each nation has the right to regulate this right further for reasons of public health, commercial and economic reasons, nuisance concerns, etc.

So, in essence, sovereign rights are maintained, as the resolution does not mandate anything other than give people the right to do what they want with their bodies.

Each nation can still legislate strict rules and regulations relating to prostitution making it virtually illegal. (For instance, it is illegal to solicit in public for the purposes of prostitution. however, what goes on behind closed doors may well still be legal).

hence, I'm in favour - individuals are given the right to control their own bodies, but nations have the right to regulate the area as they see fit.

You are right on that count.

I sadly wasted my vote on this poll to see how everyone else was voting. Damn!

Didn't realise it would do that. For the record I have to say that I have to support the proposal. I firmly belive that it is everyone's right to choose how they treat their own body in all things. So long as the proposal is open to interpretation in that fashion I agree.

I have to say though, I have had my original feelings on the matter swayed by the arguements put forward here.

The resolution "Legalize prostitution" was passed, 10899 votes to 9310, and implemented in all UN member nations.

The vote on here was tied 7-7 when I left work. As such, I broke the tie and voted in favour. Then, an 8th vote against was cast around the time that the vote on NS ended. by the time I checked, it was too late to change my vote in favour.

Sorry about that (though, in my defense, the eighth vote may not have been cast until after the polls closed).