[Blogs] Picking on Prostitution

[Hank]

Picking on Prostitution
         

Don't prosecute prostitutes

Re " 'D.C. Madam' found hanged," May 2

As a lawyer who defends women arrested for prostitution, I see how devastating it is for a woman to be convicted for crimes that should not be regarded as violations of the law. I am not surprised that a conviction with a six-year prison sentence, for activities that hurt no one, could drive someone like the "D.C. Madam" to take her own life. Deborah Jeane Palfrey has now become a martyr in the cause of expanding personal freedom.

Laws criminalizing prostitution among consenting adults are among the most hypocritical and oppressive in the criminal justice system. Just look at the high-ranking political figures who were among Palfrey's clients. How much time should they do behind bars? Does society want to drive these men to commit suicide too?

The best lesson to take away is that prostitution among consenting adults should no longer be a punishable crime. No more women or men should ever again hear the jail doors slam shut because of buying or selling adult sexual pleasures.

Edward Tabash


Our own Eddie Tabash had this published in the LA Times, and it got me thinking.  I've often asserted that gay rights, death with dignity, and abortion rights all mainly stood under the umbrella of the Separation of Church and State.  I wonder now, as I think about it, if prostitution (as described above) also falls into this category.
         

http://www.atheists.org/nogodblog/index.php/2008/05/08/picking_on_prostitution
         

[Ungodly]

When I were a wee lad, somebody had to kill you before you could be a martyr.

Now it seems to be ever so popular to kill yourself in order to become a martyr, but the word always used to have some connotation of a person being a victim.

The most devout martyrs, of course, are the ones who kill innocent people along with themselves.  These martyrs are the ones that get 6 dozen rosy-cheeked 13 year old virgins when they kill innocents.

Poor Ms Palfrey had to sell off all of her virgins, well, rent them actually.  And because her suicide did not kill anyone else she is not even considered heroic.

I would agree that Ms Palfrey was not treated very nicely, but she was running an organized crime ring, and her customers, Washington elites, were the worst sort of criminals.  It is important to think about how you will smell later before rolling around on the ground with pigs.

I do agree with Attorney Tabash, prostitution should be legalized.  It would be ridiculous to suggest that laws against prostitution are going to stop it from happening.  The day will come when the USA is just a few paragraphs in a history book, and there will still be working girls and rent boys.

[Storybook]

Maybe they'll publish her customer list.