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Baron Max said:
Perhaps you should read up on the tests required for determining the HIV virus. How long after the test can it be positively identified? What are the errors involved in the tests? What does the prostitute do for money while she's waiting for the test results? If she still has sex, is the state going to certify her as 'clean'? What about other STDs?
And ....is the prostitute certified 'clean' after every single session of intercourse or anal sex?
Baron Max
Nothing is ever certain, Max. I think you know that.
We recently experienced a "crane disaster" in Seattle. Quite simply, a construction crane collapsed, resulting in death. The crane operator survived, but I believe it was a resident or employee in the neighboring building who died. Initial reports focused on the crane operator's history with drugs. Even Seattle's liberal
Post-Intelligencer jumped on the bandwagon. No, wait, that's wrong. It kind of led the charge. Disgraceful. In the end, the reason the crane collapsed is that it was improperly engineered. The crane needed to be able to handle a certain amount of force; its foundation was constructed to withstand only a quarter of that force.
However, if we verify that any certain crane is capable at its installation, need we verify it again after each load? After all, the metal of its superstructure could be flawed in a manner that routine stress will bring it to untimely failure. The problem with that is that the cost of housing in Seattle is entirely out of hand already, and the construction of new condo units shoddy to the point that the practice of buying a unit before the building is finished (preselling is the preferred method of the developers) is an incredibly naive idea. Some units see rooftop leaks in Seattle's legendary rain penetrating several floors down. Others are simply not finished as advertised. (When paying for craftsmanship, how surprised would you be to find your place appointed with Wal-Mart accessories?) Verifying the crane again and again will only push the cost of housing up--profit margins
must be maintained or increased, never lost; or so the business world says.
Driving a car is a risk. Vehicles deemed safe for the road include a former model of Audi that was known for sticking open its throttle in reverse. Imagine looking to back out of your driveway and suddenly rocketing across the street, careening off a parallel-parked car, and smashing through your neighbor's garage door. There was also the infamous "Yugo", whose wiring was so bad that researchers could reproduce a braking effect by banging on the interior of the driver's side door just so. Imagine reaching to crank down your window, missing the knob, and the gentle impact of your hand against the door panel causing the brakes to lock at freeway speeds.
The issue of prostitution bears obvious risks for both provider and consumer. Disease is one of these; even the most practical schemes to check contagion is flawed. Whether you're paying $200 or $1000 for an hour, there is only so much protection you can expect: it's called a condom, and condoms are variously rated between 85-98% effective, depending on the protection invoked.
Beyond the purely selfish ("Can I bang her without a disease?") there are other protections. Accepting $60 from the latest Hugh Grant for fellatio ought not mean you've consented to anal sex. In brothels, this sort of principle is more easily enforced. Workers would be provided a safer place to practice their trade than in a back alley or under the pier,or worse yet, in a car. Gary Lee Ridgway could not have victimized prostitutes in brothels. (
See "
Green River ... I don't know where to start".)
Additionally, prostitutes and johns alike would be spared the headache of dealing with street pimps. (
See "
The Teenage Prostitute's Handbook"; strangely, the link describes a fairly forward-looking pimp; seriously, beyond the ethnic considerations and prescribed isolation, and even to some degree within them, he's doing what any good business owner does in trying to protect his assets.) People who recall Holden Caulfield's (
Catcher in the Rye) run-in with a pimp are also likely to recognize that, compared to today, our protagonist got off easy.
I don't dispute the primacy of the personal fear: "
Will I get (herpes/gonorrhea/chlamydia/HIV) if I have sex with this person?" But that fear treads also into socially-legitimized sexuality, as well, to the point that even the monogamous consider the question. But there are safety questions that extend beyond that fear for both the provider and consumer. Regulation will provide better working conditions for the prostitutes, and therefore increased safety for the johns. They are at lower risk (not zero) for disease, and if their credit card bounces, they face collections, not a button-man or hit team.
The tip of the iceberg. Or, as the leper told the prostitute: "You can keep the tip."
