Why is pornography legal but prostitution illegal?

[Warwithin]

This question has always bothered me, so I'll bring it up with this community for some input.

Jack pays Jill $1,000 to have consensual sex with him in his apartment. Jack is breaking the law.

Jack again pays Jill $1,000 to have consensual sex with him in his apartment, but films it with the intent to distribute the film. Jack is a film director, business owner, contributor to the economy, and, most importantly, not breaking the law.

I'm left scratching my head on that one. What is it about filming paid sex acts that suddenly makes something illegal into a thriving, multi-billion dollar industry? Last I checked, filming yourself doing drugs could be used as incriminating evidence - not an opportunity to make some money.

Thoughts?

[BLCalliente]

Because when it's on film it's acting.

When it's not, it's fucking.

[Warwithin]

Because when it's on film it's acting.

When it's not, it's fucking.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but just because it's "acting" doesn't make it pretend sex or anything. It's the exact same consensual, physical, paid intercourse in any situation.

[Deleted]

Well they do get paid to fuck. Often it's a director who pays them but low budget projects might just be one person paying someone else and having a friend to shoot it.
So no, its pretty much the same thing.

[Payday]

The bible makes no mention of pornography.

[Warwithin]

Well they do get paid to fuck. Often it's a director who pays them but low budget projects might just be one person paying someone else and having a friend to shoot it.
So no, its pretty much the same thing.

My thoughts as well. In a lot of instances, the director / filmmaker is also taking part in the scenes.

[Vizardlorde]

Lesson : all prostitutes should have a camera set up in case of being caught by the authorities to exempt them from punishment by saying it was only porn.

[Blur4stuff]

sex is legal. buying stuff is legal. so why is selling sex illegal? to cleanly paraphrase george carlin.

actually, prostitution is legal. plenty of guys pay for dinner and other stuff then get sex with no intention of getting married and starting a family. not always, obviously, but it happens every day in every city.

plenty of women know this is the goal of men and go along with it to get free stuff and hopefully fulfilling sex

[alexkeren]

Just as prostitution isn't illegal everywhere in the US, same is true of the legality of making adult films.

[Activi-T]

The pornography industry is regulated while prostitution isn't. If you want to adequately equate them you need regular testing for STDs, proof of age and proof of consent without coercion for prostitutes.

[Orestis]

Something something government cut something.

Prostitution is mostly payment under the table, government gets no cut. Porn has a paper trail or payments, amounts, dates, etc... then taxes.

In short: Money.

[Immitis]

its part of a film.

doesnt matter that the sex is real, nowhere does it say you cant have real sex in a movie.

if you have a problem with it just ask the slags to let you film them before you pay them. boom legal and you are now a director and a producer and an actor.

[Tradewind]

1. Regulate prostitution.
2. c===8
3. Profit.

[Odina]

Something something government cut something.

Prostitution is mostly payment under the table, government gets no cut. Porn has a paper trail or payments, amounts, dates, etc... then taxes.

In short: Money.

Prostitution has no choice but to be under the table as it is not legal in most states ergo there is no paper trail but if it was then you would have said paper trail and taxes.

[ultimar235]

Pornography is an act in a controlled environment but prostitution isn't controlled. Everyone is tested for pornos and there's usually safe words. It's not the case with prostitution.

[Adam Jensen]

The pornography industry is regulated while prostitution isn't. If you want to adequately equate them you need regular testing for STDs, proof of age and proof of consent without coercion for prostitutes.

Nevada already does this.

Make it legal.

That'll hopefully make it safer for both the prostitutes and the clients.

[madokbro]

Prostitution is mostly illegal on paper. Don't know about the rest of the world, but here the government has an incredible amount of prostitution facilities that no one really talks about, you can find one around almost every inter-city road that gets attention from truck drivers and loners. It does have a positive effect on traffic, as apparently, men drive better when they are happy.

The women and transsexuals who work in places like those are always locals as well, and the Turkish police does not tolerate private pimps. So in essence, the system also greatly reduced the amount of human trafficking for sex labour we used to receive from Russia and the Balkans.

[Vizardlorde]

Something something government cut something.

Prostitution is mostly payment under the table, government gets no cut. Porn has a paper trail or payments, amounts, dates, etc... then taxes.

In short: Money.

Las Vegas has prostitution and im pretty sure there is paper trail and taxes involved. My grandpa brought a lot of escort ladies business cards when he returned from his trip several years ago. Those were his last fun times before the radiation made his soldier unable to salute the flag O.o

[Dispraise]

The pornography industry is regulated while prostitution isn't. If you want to adequately equate them you need regular testing for STDs, proof of age and proof of consent without coercion for prostitutes.

And for their johns as well, which seems much the more difficult task to me.

Just as prostitution isn't illegal everywhere in the US, same is true of the legality of making adult films.

This is also true. It's illegal where I live to produce pornography.

[Pitkanen]

In terms of regulation, it's much easier to regulate "a few" studios to limit STD transmission/slave trade/under-age, than it is to regulate 100x that many brothels or 1000x that many individual prostitutes.

I don't envy the lifestyle of the Nevada legal prostitutes, maybe it's just the media's portrait of it but it seems like 'the house' gets most of the money make and in return they live like servicemen deployed in a submarine for weeks at a time.