B.C. rights groups celebrate court ruling striking down prostitution laws

B.C. rights groups celebrate court ruling striking down prostitution laws

So a judge in Ontario basically made a decision that decriminalizes prostitutes to an extent, allowing them to go to the authorities with work-related crimes, without fear of being reprimanded for what it is they do. It also appears, at first glance, to allow them to actually claim their income from prostitution as their income, allowing them to what? Pay taxes? I suppose.

Of course the arguments coming out of most people are that this is disgusting as it propagates prostitution, and by extension, the abuse of women. Granted, prostitution has a long-standing history of abusing women, most women in the industry today are not there by their own choice. They have been and are being exploited in any number of ways. But why is it that prostitution is so abhorred? It seems to me that our own puritan roots have left us so embarrassed about sex that anyone who dares to publicly admit they do it should be shunned. Everyone, well most adults anyways, have sex, at least once in their life. It's not something to be ashamed about, or to hide. Most people will brag to their friends, and it is the driving force behind the majority of our interactions in society. You maintain your appearance, chase wealth, make friends and enemies, all in the pursuit of sexual interaction. Why is it that selling those services is looked down upon? The modern prostitute is a criminal object, but there were days when she was simply looked down upon, and, before that, simply a part of society.

Maybe if we get over our own insecurities about sex, we can stop marginalizing and exploiting these women. I think this decision is one step closer to that.