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Bill: Lex Nasennia de Prostitutione
Details
Submitted by[?]: Factio Republicana Socialistica
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: October 4390
Description[?]:
| Nasennian Law on Prostitution Senators, Prostitution is a shameful and degrading practice, bringing disrepute to all parties engaged in it and harming virtue and social harmony. However we believe it to be a necessary evil. Not all men and women are equal in virtue, and some things are permissible to those imperfect in virtue that would be intolerable in the virtuous. Laws are not framed only for those perfect in virtue, but for flawed human beings, most of whom cannot abstain from all vices. Thus it is only those vices that most humans can abstain from that are forbidden by the law, and chiefly those, like murder, theft, or adultery, that cause irreparable harm to others. Fornication is one of those vices that only the most virtuous can fully abstain from. Thus our laws need to be tailored with that human imperfection in mind, and although it would be just to forbid all promiscuity, it would be unwise. Not only would most citizens fail to abide by these laws, but the unchanneled sexual energy of the young unmarried men of our Republic would soon find a more violent and unpredictable outlet, with even worse social and moral consequences. We believe that, by teaching young men the pleasures of the flesh, prostitutes perform a shameful but valuable social service, as they ultimately protect young maidens from being deflowered and married women and nuns from being violated. For this reason we now call for the full legalization and regulation of prostitution throughout the Republilc. All brothels shall henceforth function as cooperatives, fully run by the sex workers themselves, who will be able to determine working hours, wages, and pricing. The government will take measures to combat human trafficking and provide a safe and healthy working environment for sex workers. Moreover, given that our current adultery laws criminalize only the "intruding" party and not the married person, sex workers will be exempt from the enforcement of the adultery law. However, in order to ensure that brothels do not become a cesspool of adultery, sex workers will have the responsibility of verifying their customers' marital status and provide information to the government. The names and images of all married customers will then be made public by the government, in order to publicly shame and embarrass adulterers and discourage married citizens from paying for sex. Decimus Nasennius Valens Senator |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Libel laws.
Old value:: Individuals may sue over falsehoods and defamatory opinions printed on them.
Current: Individuals may sue over falsehoods printed on them.
Proposed: Individuals may sue over falsehoods printed on them.
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change The right for a person to prostitute himself or herself.
Old value:: Prostitution regulation decisions are left up to local governments.
Current: Prostitution is illegal.
Proposed: Prostitution is legal and a recognized profession.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 16:58:03, May 08, 2018 CET | From | Factio Renatus Seluciana | To | Debating the Lex Nasennia de Prostitutione |
| Message | I mean, pornography accomplishes the same goal, is less risky and costly, plus doesn’t have the chance of catching STDs, but apparently it’s evil. We shall vote yes because it looks like the pornography bill is going to pass, unfortunately. |
| Date | 17:27:48, May 08, 2018 CET | From | Factio Republicana Socialistica | To | Debating the Lex Nasennia de Prostitutione |
| Message | Senators, I beg to differ over the fact that pornography accomplishes the same goal as prostitution. The latter keeps the baser impulses in check and provides a controlled and safe environment for their expression, while pornography's role is to incite and inflame said impulses. There is also a difference in enforcement. With prostitution, if it is exclusively conducted within the borders of our nation and with strict regulations, we can be reasonably sure that every participant is willing. With pornography, especially internet pornography, it is ultimately impossible to know whether the woman (and it is almost always the woman) was not drugged, abused, coerced, or otherwise abused, just as it is practically impossible to verify that all participants are above the age of consent. Prostitution, if properly regulated and governed by the sex-workers themselves, is infinitely better than pornography. Decimus Nasennius Valens Senator |
| Date | 19:39:52, May 08, 2018 CET | From | Factio Renatus Seluciana | To | Debating the Lex Nasennia de Prostitutione |
| Message | We can have strict regulations and make sure it’s exclusively Selucian for pornography as well. Set up a website where are videos uploaded are by certified women and/or men. You could also put a disclaimer that everything in the video is a fictional scenario or something of the like, so people know not to expect the content of the video to be like real life. For pornography, you also don’t need to maintain a building like you are suggesting with brothels. You could film in a house or rent a room. I’m not seeing the benefits. We might as well have both pornography and prostitution. |
| Date | 03:31:37, May 09, 2018 CET | From | Novus Partis Rexisti | To | Debating the Lex Nasennia de Prostitutione |
| Message | Prostitution is a shameful practice. Does not prostitution spread disease? Does not prostitution promote casual sex, and thus decrease the interest in marriage? |
| Date | 10:48:17, May 09, 2018 CET | From | Factio Republicana Socialistica | To | Debating the Lex Nasennia de Prostitutione |
| Message | Senators, The Imperial Senator raises some interesting proposals that, if implemented, would indeed help reduce the harm caused by pornography. There is however one other negative effect that these reforms would fail to mitigate. It is known that sex work is very difficult to exit from, requiring substantial resources and changes to the very structure of society. It is difficult but not impossible for prostitutes to eventually leave that line of business and become productive members of society. But when it comes to pornography, the images remain online forever, tainting the image of individual sex workers, affecting their employability, and ultimately forcing them to remain in the industry by closing out all other options due to the perpetual stigma associated with sex work. As for the requirement that all prostitution take place in certified brothels, that is the only way to reduce if not eliminate human trafficking. Many sex workers would doubtlessly prefer to work from their own homes, but under those circumstances it would be far more difficult to verify that all sex workers consent. That would also hold true for pornography, especially since it is in fact known that the porn industry is inextricably linked to human trafficking. As for the comments of the Rexist Party, we fully agree that prostitution is indeed very shameful. However, following reason and the guidance of tradition and, indeed, the Church Fathers, we know that it is a necessary evil, that it keeps baser passions under control, and provides protection for chastity. Decimus Nasennius Valens Senator |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||
| yes | Total Seats: 379 | |||
| no | Total Seats: 343 | |||
| abstain | Total Seats: 0 |
| Random fact: Submitting a bill without any proposals in it will not attract or detract voters. It will not raise your visibility or change your political position. |
| Random quote: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." - Emma Goldman |