# FILE NAME: 00000358.soc
# TITLE: Should prostitution be legal? [6d86242c6a44ac5b1301c9dea0d7120f]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - Prostitution should be legal. The only argument I can see for its illegality is on the grounds of morality. In the 21st century we should not be judging individuals' personal lives and their choice of employment on the grounds of morality. The act itself does not hurt anyone, it is the fact that people are making a living out of it that causes some moral conflict. Aside from this there are many benefits to the legalisation of prostitution. It would protect the prostitutes themselves, and would stop women from feeling that they had no other option. Making the service illegal would not stop the demand, as it is a perfectly natural human instinct and there will always be demand. However, I do think the clients should be fined for their role in the trade.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - Prostitution should be legal. The only argument I can see for its illegality is on the grounds of morality. In the 21st century we should not be judging individuals' personal lives and their choice of employment on the grounds of morality. The act itself does not hurt anyone, it is the fact that people are making a living out of it that causes some moral conflict. Aside from this there are many benefits to the legalisation of prostitution. It would protect the prostitutes themselves, and would stop women from feeling that they had no other option. Making the service illegal would not stop the demand, as it is a perfectly natural human instinct and there will always be demand.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - Prostitution should be legalised. Though the act itself may not hurt anyone, we must consider the wider impact that prostitution has on society. Prostitution is often not a choice, and in some cases women feel that they have no other option. This is not acceptable in the 21st century. By making it legal, the government could protect the workers, and prevent them from feeling like they have no other option. It would also stop the act being associated with crime and illegal behaviour, and this could stop young women being drawn into prostitution. The money from taxing the profession could be used to support the workers. However, it must be acknowledged that this profession carries with it a lot of moral baggage, and so the Government would need to make sure that the workers are protected. A group of participants was tasked with coming up with a consensus opinion on an important question. Below is presented the question, the opinions of each individual participant, the first draft of a consensus statement, the critiques of the draft consensus statement by the participants, and the final consensus statement reached after much deliberation.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - Prostitution should be legal. We believe it should be legal because we do not see any harm in consenting adults paying each other for sex. The fact that some people find it immoral is not a good enough reason for it to remain illegal. There are many benefits to legalising prostitution. The main reason is that it protects the women in the trade. They do not feel like they have no other option. It would stop women from feeling forced into prostitution. Making the service illegal would not stop the demand, as it is a perfectly natural human instinct and there will always be demand.
2: 2,3,4,1
1: 3,1,4,2
1: 2,1,4,3
1: 3,1,2,4