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From: barry@ames.UUCP (Kenn Barry)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: How to start getting rid of porn
Message-ID: <808@ames.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 14:34:02 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.808
Posted: Wed Feb 20 14:34:02 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Feb-85 14:31:07 EST
References: <1612@pur-phy.UUCP> <4716@cbscc.UUCP> <128@v1.UUCP> <774@utcsri.UUCP>
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 24

>  But back to the article being rebutted.  While liberalizing laws concerning
>what happens to two individuals in the privacy of their home is something I'm
>in favour of, I don't think that the legalization of prostitution is likely to
>help attitudes much at all.  We *are* North Americans, and as such, we are
>unlikely to view prostitution as an honourable or sacred profession.  To
>legalize it would just make it more widespread and likely hurt attitudes
>towards women in general (remember that given our background, the vast majority
>of the population looks down upon prostitution and this *isn't* going to change
>with legalization). 

	Seems to me this is a self-perpetuating attitude. If you keep
prostitution illegal, then hookers will of course continue to have no
social standing, and little legal protection against exploitation and
abuse. I would agree that the main problem is that most people look down
on prostitutes, but maybe it would be better if we tried to change such
attitudes. Is such contempt not sexist? Are hookers not one of the groups
most victimized by sexism? Is prostitution a problem, or is the problem
the suppression of prostitution?

-  From the Crow's Nest  -                      Kenn Barry
                                                NASA-Ames Research Center
                                                Moffett Field, CA
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