This commentary is by Ericka Redic, of Burlington. She is the Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. House.
Montpelier is now the second city in the state to decriminalize prostitution within its city limits, and I am deeply concerned for what this move will mean for Vermont. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of sex work, the reality is that wherever prostitution is decriminalized, there is a subsequent increase in drug and gang activity, abuse and trafficking. Given that we already have a problem with human, sex and drug trafficking, how much worse will it get?
The libertarian stance is that whatever two consenting adults want to do, they should be able to do, as long as they are not hurting other people. This sounds reasonable and rational, but how many people are doing it because they don’t feel like they have any other choice? Are they an addict, mentally ill, being abused or trafficked? I agree with that stance on topics like the legalization of marijuana. However, if the action of consenting adults leads to an increase in criminality, making the general public less safe, can that logic still stand? Where do we draw the line?
Regardless of your view on sex work, you cannot deny the real human consequences. I have a good friend who is a sex worker, and she’s told me many of the people she used to work with have either committed suicide or died of a drug overdose. I don’t know any other professions (other than maybe police and soldiers) that have that high of a rate of drug overdose and suicide.
The prevalence of suicides and OD’s shows us that the ideas being pushed by Becca Balint, Sarah George and Burlington City Council are not working. Not to mention the drug related shootings and murders regularly taking place in Burlington now. These elected officials are fortunate that they benefit from the Qualified Immunity they want to take away from police. Otherwise, every family with a dead father, sister or cousin, could hold them liable.
With 13 years in recovery, I know personally how difficult opioids are to quit. I know people who have spent years on substitution regimes like Suboxone only to relapse and lose everything all over again. How many more people are there like me who’s addiction started with a prescription?
Last year, Vermont saw the highest increase in drug overdose deaths in the country. Record amounts of Fentanyl, enough to kill every single American, has been seized at our southern border this year. That’s just what they caught! Vermont and the country as a whole are seeing a massive uptick in drug activity. People are more and more likely to die from drug use, and our elected officials want to make policy changes that are known to increase drug activity.
Call me old fashioned, but perhaps an industry with this much human suffering related to it isn’t in our best interest. We are already suffering the consequences of crimes that accompany decriminalized prostitution. Do we really want to contribute to the problem more?
Someone might want to look into this situation before you vote on this:
“Wells Fargo screws sex workers, Cancels Accounts over “Risks”.
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/wells-fargo-screws-sex-workers-cancels-accounts-over-risks
When you really think about it, I don’t blame the bank.
Sex workers commit suicide, they get killed, a lot of them are on drugs, it’s not exactly a healthy occupation in a whole lot of ways.
BUT what is Vermont setting these women up for in legalizing this?
Making the women feel like this is some viable real career option– well guess what, Wells Fargo says otherwise. I bet they won’t be the only bank doing this.
I have to wonder how “article 22” would play into this insanity….
Prostitution is not just between a man and a woman; it encompasses anything sexual. That includes sexual deviancy. We aren’t talking about just normal sexual relations here. If prostitution is legal, you can expect that all forms of deviant behavior will be included to attract the worst in society. If it’s for sale
someone will buy it. Just imagine what comes with this insanity. Vermont’s communities that fall for this can expect their streets to look like Boston’s old combat zone and the resulting filth and crime. Those officials who promote the sex and drug trade should be voted out of office as soon as possible. The mayor of Montpeculier is running for Washington County senator. Does she promote this insanity?
It’s just a business transaction. It’s taking the most intimate form of personal relationship and making it the equivalent of ……pouring a glass of water or giving someone a ride in a taxi.
The most anti-woman and man law ever.
So we can throw any sexual assault charges out the window, it is only theft of services now. Minor petty theft.
And Montpelier will say, “the Devil made me do it”….and they would be correct.
It’s stunning that all this even needed to be said.
You can wind up in jail for abusing an animal and yet look at all of this.
Where is the limit of how depraved we are going to allow our society to become?
Prostitution should not be legalized at all. To legalize it is to say it’s okay, and it’s not okay.
The men can go buy a sexbot.
They want us in battery run cars well guess what, the men can go get a battery run woman.
Problem solved.
Laura,
Sheep love is illegal, even if it’s consensual and they love each other. Please don’t get humans and animals mixed up.
Humans are slaves, to be used as seen fit by the slave masters, you will own nothing and be happy. You will serve him that ruins the world and wondering why my life is a living hell.
There are choices in life on whom one chooses to follow. Results may vary, but the road goes in different directions.
Sex is not love. Our children and populace struggle with this, apparently our legislators too. Their foot steps show their master.
and all the sheep say blaaaah, blaaah….
Once again, allowing prostitution to be legalized is the epitome of hypocrisy. It is a form of slavery for women — they are slaves to their customers (who can ask for whatever they want) and slaves to their pimps (who often physically harm them when they don’t do what they are told to do). Rape and other forms of physical abuse are common. The death rate of prostitutes is significantly higher than other women, as well. Women’s Law states that “One small study of 130 prostitutes found that 68% of the prostituted women interviewed met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was in the same range as combat veterans and victims of torture.” What on earth is wrong with the legislators in this state? They are so unbelievably ignorant.
Just let that sink in ” Legalized Prostitution ” where are all the ” Pink Hat ” libbers,
I don’t see or hear anything about this degrading woman and the feckless fools we
have in Montpelier supporting and promoting this nonsense.
It sounds to me like some of the Montpelier legislators are looking for a part-time job,
and I understand it with the current taxes Vermonter’s pay !!
Fools in charge, wake up people,
Hey, Buying women in power is pretty easy in Vermont. One man bought Balint for a million dollars. I’d like to suggest we Vermonters will not be kissed, but we will be screwed!
Her million-dollar sugar daddy will be getting all the love!
But we won’t even have this story see the light of day in Vermont, biggest political scandal since EB5….but Leahy bought that one off….
Nothing to see here in the Green Mountains, look away, look away.