Pressured by sex workers, Taiwan OKs prostitution

[Coventina]

Source: Reuters

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan began a process of legalizing prostitution Wednesday making the island the latest place in the world to decriminalize the world's oldest profession.

In six months, authorities will stop punishing Taiwan sex workers after prostitutes successfully campaigned to be given the same protection as their clients, a government spokesman said.

"Now the client gets off free, but the prostitute gets punished, and that's not fair," spokesman Su Jun-pin said.

Taiwan's cabinet will issue regulations within six months, when new regulations take effect, covering locations in Taiwan approved for prostitution.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE55N1OY20090624

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Ahhh, I love a story with a happy ending!!

:yoiks:

[Uben]

1. Gov. Sanford to move to Taiwan!

Sweeeeet!

[Thothmes]

7. Spitzer also.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. Hmmm. You DO know the scandal ratio is at the VERY least 3-1 for Republicans, right?

Right?

[Thothmes]

17. How does it work out for Presidents?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

18. I would say the entire Bush II presidency was a continuous scandal That, plus Watergate,

settles the matter IMHO.

Sorry, your guys still win.

[Art_from_Ark]

22. Don't forget Iran-Contra

and the entire Grant and Harding administrations, for that matter.

[tomm2thumbs]

2. lol at 'happy ending' comment

nice touch

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. I hereby declare it is an accurate description.

Anybody has a problem with that?

[niceypoo]

19. The 'masseuses' in Thailand yelled that at us...

... when we walked by their shops, 'For you, happy ending!'

[Ian David]

3. Must have been some interesting lobbying. n/t

[JonQ]

4. I wonder how much revenue the US could raise

if it were to legalize, regulate and tax prostitution? It would free up a number of cops to go after violent crimes that actually hurt people, release quite of a few harmless folks from our jails and let them go back to work (and pay their taxes). Seems like a win-win.

[KTinaY2008]

5. Not only that but it would go along way in keeping the women...

who are prostitutes safe. If it was legalized and regulated it would be easier to protect the workers from diseases and crazy ass potential serial killers. There is no reason it should be illegal, IMO.

[JonQ]

10. Yep, get the criminals out of the business

and it would be a lot cleaner and safer for all involved. For some reason there was alot of murder and other violence surrounding alcohol production/distribution back when it was illegal that completely disappeared after it was made legal. Hmm

[AlphaCentauri]

20. Also the access of prostitutes to pensions, disability benefits and the right to live with dignity

without abuses. Plus all those rights other workers have like forming unions.

:thumbsup:

[JVS]

8. I don't like the idea of taxing prostitutes any more than other lines of work.

Applying a "sin tax" to prostitution turns the government into a pimp.

[clixtox]

9. Sure, taxing prostitutes would sully the government's reputation! NOT...

Where are you coming from to make a silly comment like, "Applying a "sin tax" to prostitution turns the government into a pimp."

What does taxing tobacco products, alcoholic beverages and casinos already make the government?

Nobody "likes" taxes on anything!

It s past time to put back on your "thinking cap" and cogitate some more...

[JonQ]

11. What job can you have, legally, where you aren't taxed?

Every legal job is taxed in this country.

[JVS]

12. I'm talking about the funding-happy "let's tax the shit out of things currently illegal " thing ...

that is so popular here with the intention of repairing the state budgets or funding other projects. See also cigarette taxes. Of course prostitutes should pay normal taxes on earnings.

What I wouldn't like to see happen is that because very few people are willing to go on record as being against a tax on prostitutes and customers (both have a bad PR image), it becomes politically expedient to add local, federal, and state surcharges to the sex act to the point where the hookers have barely enough money left over and end up having to do more sex work than when it was illegal.

[JonQ]

14. Like we currently do for alcohol

tobacco, and soon to be cokes.

[Vidar]

6. Good for Taiwan. Meanwhile, mapping out its own puritanical path, the mainland declares war on porn.

[AlphaCentauri]

21. Porn is prostitution but with mental side effects for the voyeuristic masses

porn is not healthy, sex is.

[Bankhead_ATL]

13. Hey if you going to sell it why not get paid for it