To quote George Carlin: "I don't understand why prostitution is illegal. Selling is legal, fucking is legal. So why isn't it legal to sell fucking?" (This is where I find out whether the site has profanity filtering.)

My employer pays me to carry out a role. I enjoy some of it, I actively dislike some of it, but I continue to deliver the whole package, and they continue to put an agreed amount of money in my bank account every month. Isn't that a form of prostitution too? In which case, don't we all need money to survive, and don't we all meet terms and conditions set by others in order to receive that money? The only people who don't have to do this are thieves.

Criminalising prostitution creates more problems than it solves. In places where it is criminal, the victims of pimps and traffickers have nowhere to turn. In places where it's legal, they are in a position to report those abusing them.

I think the UK has a sensible balance on this. Prostitution itself is perfectly legal. Pimping, running a brothel, or in some other way living off the earnings of someone else's prostitution, is not.

The only important thing about sex (assuming it's between adults) is consent. Some people put that consent up for sale. And as long as they're not being forced into doing so, why not?

People go to therapists, and pay them, to get treatment and relief from many types of issues, be it physical, emotional, psychological, whatever. Paying someone for sexual relief, enjoyment, satisfaction is no different in my opinion.

Totally. Selling sex or buying it is a victimless crime, the negatives attached to prostitution are because it is illegal and therefore isn't regulated to protect the workers and customers. If a country legalized it and began to regulate with laws about STI testing, drug counseling, and an organization to check in to make sure that workers are willingly participating then a great number of issues surrounding prostitution would go away. As for the personal rationalization, I suppose that depends on the person but seeing how plenty of people already do it I would say it is pretty rational for them.

Sex is such a basic need and some people strike out when it comes to the dating scene. I would hope for most people there is a person or more than one who could see the beauty in them and they wouldn't have to go to a prostitute. But why spend years without the comfort and release of the sexual experience if you are one of the unlucky ones? I wouldn't say it was justified if it was a way of cheating. I would say that protection for all involved should be mandatory.

I believe legalizing prostitution would be helpful in efforts to end sex slave trafficking, as I believe decriminalizing drugs and addressing it as a medical condition would decrease drug addictions

I could go on for days about this subject. I will try to keep my comments down to a reasonable length, though. Yes, I have used prostitutes many times in the past. For me, it eliminated all of the wasted time dating and the spending of a lot of hard earned money, all the while not knowing if (and likely not getting), one would actually participate in sex. You pick a lady, agree on a price, do your thing and leave. No fuss, no muss.
Brothels are legal in Nevada except for Clark county. They are taxed, regulated, licensed, and the girls are required by law to submit to disease and drug testing. Condoms are required by law as well. Were it this way in all 50 states, sex trafficking would be diminished, diseases would drop drastically, and drug use among prostitutes would fall dramatically. Don't believe me, though. Look the stats up for yourself.

At the risk of having the ladies take turns handing me my head again, I will try to give you an answer, It is said that Men feel loved when they have sex, but women have sex when they feel loved. I do not pretend to really understand this, other than it seems to be true. Sex simply for the sake of sex, is less satisfying than sex with a partner in a loving relationship. The difference is intimacy, emotional intimacy. What a man really wants is to be the hero. If a woman can convince a man that he is making a positive impact on her life simply by being himself, he will follow her anywhere, he will walk through hell for her. When all is said and done, a relationship is two people pumping each other's ego. You will seldom, if ever, find this, paying for sex. Rationally justified? You be the judge.

Yeah, definitely. It is a way of life for some people. But perhaps I am biased, since I wouldn't be here if my bio father didn't pay for sex with my bio mother! LOL.

In principle yes, as for me definitely not . For me paying for sex reduces it to an animal act devoid of any mental stimulation and connection which for me is just as important as the physical .

If you don't build a temple around sex, why not? It is just a physical act. Why shouldn't a person be allowed to do it if they so desire? I don't like human trafficking or any other coercive acts, so don't tell me about that. However, if a person is willing to have sex with another for payment, why not?

Yes.

I see nothing wrong with it. What is wrong is that as long as it is illegal, there will be trafficking, pimps, and dealers. Legalize it, tax it, and regulate it and I suspect it would very quickly eliminate many of the bad issues associated with prostitution while at the same time getting rid of the stigma for both parties.

What someone chooses to do with their body is their own affair. Ethics and morality isn’t the province of the government. The only question that has any viability here is prostitution being a vector for disease. Of course, childhood prostitution should be outlawed and forcibly putting men or women in that activity should be illegal, but a government regulated business would work. I wouldn’t advise anyone to enter that profession and if I knew anyone in the that profession I would advise them to get psychological help, but who are we to tell consenting adults what they can do with their own bodies?

You always pay for sex. One way or another.

So long as it involves two or more consenting adults and nobody winds up in the hospital getting something pulled out of their ass on the tax payers dime, what people do in the privacy of their own bedroom and how they go about it is their business.

Everyone does.

I hate the cynical statement "everyone pays for sex". If I am with someone I love, the expenses of life are just that, the expenses of life. If you buy that, then everyone pays for children, companionship, pets, love ,etc. Covering the expenses of living with another person is not "paying for sex"!

For me no .With out a mutual cerebral and physical attraction sex is meaningless to me

I agree that everyone pays for sex. the thing with a prostitute is you pay and then get what you paid for.

I have had various associations with prostitutes in my life, in and out of the Honky Tonks. One once offered me the position of being her Fancy Man. Shelah was her name and I have fond memories of her. I am still associated with a lot of X-prostitutes on a regular basis. I see no rational reason for it to be criminalized. As for the customer paying for sex, I think the rationality would be decided by whether you can afford it.

Maybe in Nevada where it is legal. The women are medically followed and I hear its safer?

You realize you put "sex" and "rational-" in the same sentence? There is nothing rational about sex. It is hormonal and instinctual. I am all for us letting go of our sexual hang-ups (I have mine as much as the next person), so long as we think carefully about consequences, both emotional and physical/health safety-wise. My worry about paid-for sex comes primarily down to possibility of coercion and abuse.

If they are two consenting adults, sure.

I have considered it but I doubt I could ever hand over cash in exchange. I know it's no different than paying for drinks and an expensive dinner. I guess there is just a stigma involved with the cash transaction. But then again, dinner and drinks does not guarantee sex but the cash would. lol