Prostitution legal in USA

Khanzeer

Banned
If after the Civil rights movement in the 60s.prostitution becomes legal in all states
What impact will it have on American socioeconomic and cultural liFe ?
 
I think the only way it could become legal in all 50 states during the specified time-span is through a SCOTUS ruling. And the sociopolitical aftermath of any such ruling would make Roe v. Wade look like an argument about speed-limits.

Probably, you'd see heavy pressure for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the constituion from being interpreted in such a way as to mandate legal prostitution, similar to what is sometimes proposed in regards to flag-burning. And it would be a pretty easy sell, state-legislators and congressmen in DC would be tripping over themselves to be the first to support it.

On the other hand, if the prostitution industry takes hold quickly enough(maybe the people who run pornography make a swift move into brothels), I guess they could have quite a bit of lobbying power, and try to prevent that amendment from passing. I'm still pretty sure they'd lose, though.
 
The only halfway plausible POD is an ultra-libertarian SCOTUS. And for that to happen, so many things would have to change that legalized prostitution would probably be one of the less important consequences...
 

SsgtC

Banned
The only halfway plausible POD is an ultra-libertarian SCOTUS. And for that to happen, so many things would have to change that legalized prostitution would probably be one of the less important consequences...
This could also happen if the Progressive Era had continued. But for that too happen, I think you need the United States to stay out of both Worlds Wars. Especially WWI. Harding won with his "return to normalcy" which was a broad rebuke of Progressive Reforms, which was in turn a reaction to the recession after the War and the War itself. Keep the Progressive Era going and eventually those values will become the norm verses Harding's more Conservative policies.
 
The only halfway plausible POD is an ultra-libertarian SCOTUS. And for that to happen, so many things would have to change that legalized prostitution would probably be one of the less important consequences...

And the only halfway plausible POD for an ultra-libertarian SCOTUS is an ultra-libertarian POTUS. So... Barry Goldwater? Barry Goldwater, Jr.? Ron Paul? Circa 1988 Donald Trump? Okay, Trump wasn’t a doctrinaire libertarian even then, but he did say that he was open to the legalization of cocaine in the early 1990s.
 
There would be a long and hard effort to try and make prostitution illegal or restricted in the various states because of states’ rights.

Of course, I could see them holding on enough to form a power base against the Naysayers since how long before the piles of evidence and so on? Questions of adultery would be thrown about and then politicians would find themselves in a corner with potential blackmail.
 
This could also happen if the Progressive Era had continued. But for that too happen, I think you need the United States to stay out of both Worlds Wars. Especially WWI. Harding won with his "return to normalcy" which was a broad rebuke of Progressive Reforms, which was in turn a reaction to the recession after the War and the War itself. Keep the Progressive Era going and eventually those values will become the norm verses Harding's more Conservative policies.

(EDIT: When I wrote the post below, I was assuming you meant that a libertarian SCOTUS could result from a continued Progressive Era, but re-reading it, I think you meant that the legalization of prostitution is what would result. I didn't re-write my post, but let it stand, as a discussion about the motivations that Progressives would have for legalization, as opposed to the traditional individualist arguments.)

I don't think Progressive hegemony would give you a libertarian SCOTUS in the way that libertarianism is typically understood in the USA(and the way I assume David T was using the term). The Progressives were generally interventionist on economics and social-reform, weren't they? They likely wouldn't legalize prostitution on the basis of some commitment to hyper-individualism.

You might, however, get a Progressive SCOTUS to support legalization in conjunction with social-welfare measures to alleviate the nastier aspects of the sex-trade. Most likely, though, I think they'd go for something like what we now know as the Nordic Model: legalize the selling(under the assumption that the prostitutes are victims), while criminalizing the buying(under the assumption that the men who buy it are nasty exploitative brutes).
 
And the only halfway plausible POD for an ultra-libertarian SCOTUS is an ultra-libertarian POTUS. So... Barry Goldwater? Barry Goldwater, Jr.? Ron Paul? Circa 1988 Donald Trump? Okay, Trump wasn’t a doctrinaire libertarian even then, but he did say that he was open to the legalization of cocaine in the early 1990s.

I personally think it's exaggerated how libertarian Goldwater was throughout most of his career, and even then, I doubt he'd appoint someone whose views were so off-the-charts libertarian that they would strike down prostitution laws, unless he somehow wasn't aware of their ideology.

Honestly, I think a President Goldwater would just appoint law-and-order types, like Nixon and Reagan endeavoured to do. Of course, a few of them, again as with Nixon and Reagan appointments, might go their own liberal way after being sworn in. Not likely to the point of legalizing brothels, however.
 

SsgtC

Banned
(EDIT: When I wrote the post below, I was assuming you meant that a libertarian SCOTUS could result from a continued Progressive Era, but re-reading it, I think you meant that the legalization of prostitution is what would result. I didn't re-write my post, but let it stand, as a discussion about the motivations that Progressives would have for legalization, as opposed to the traditional individualist arguments.)

I don't think Progressive hegemony would give you a libertarian SCOTUS in the way that libertarianism is typically understood in the USA(and the way I assume David T was using the term). The Progressives were generally interventionist on economics and social-reform, weren't they? They likely wouldn't legalize prostitution on the basis of some commitment to hyper-individualism.

You might, however, get a Progressive SCOTUS to support legalization in conjunction with social-welfare measures to alleviate the nastier aspects of the sex-trade. Most likely, though, I think they'd go for something like what we now know as the Nordic Model: legalize the selling(under the assumption that the prostitutes are victims), while criminalizing the buying(under the assumption that the men who buy it are nasty exploitative brutes).
Yeah, sorry. I wasn't really clear there. I meant the Progressive Movement overall would, I think, eventually lead to legalised prostitution.
 
^^ As for Ron Paul, he's more of a states-rights man than a libertarian, so while he might try to repeal federal anti-prostitution laws like the Mann Act, he'd likely leave states free to deal with the sex trade as they wished: IOW the OTL status quo.
 
One step would be to take the 'prostitute as victim' view, trading off increased penalties for pimping, pandering, slavery, ect... Leave the girls and Johns alone & attack the people who exploit them. Not perfect but doable.
 

Khanzeer

Banned
There would be a long and hard effort to try and make prostitution illegal or restricted in the various states because of states’ rights.

Of course, I could see them holding on enough to form a power base against the Naysayers since how long before the piles of evidence and so on? Questions of adultery would be thrown about and then politicians would find themselves in a corner with potential blackmail.
But can we see institution of marriage completely fall out of favor esp amongst nonreligious males ?
How about prostitutes that can carry babies and have then raised in communal homes and the cost of this is 1/4 of that it takes to raise child by a married couple
 
The best PODs would be states deciding its easier to regulate prostitution than to outright ban it in the early 1900s or to have the government decide that regulated prostitution is necessary during WWI/WWII to prevent venereal disease.
 
But can we see institution of marriage completely fall out of favor esp amongst nonreligious males ?
How about prostitutes that can carry babies and have then raised in communal homes and the cost of this is 1/4 of that it takes to raise child by a married couple

That’s require many more rules and workers comp/maternity leave
 
You'll never get it in all 50 states, and the SCOTUS will need 9 ASBs sitting on the court to make that happen. With appropriate laws, and enforcement thereof, for protection of the women in the trade, public health measures such as mandatory exams for disease, you could see prostitution legal in several states and even certain cities/counties within states (like in Nevada). Given the religiosity in the USA overall, think Prohibition for example, and the areas of extremely conservative religion with legislative power, think anti-evolution laws/Scopes trial, this just won't happen. More "local" areas of legality, perhaps even like the districts in Amsterdam or Hamburg, but everywhere in the USA no way.

There was a small village in Northern Wisconsin, originally founded as a Moravian church settlement in the mid-19th century, which until 3 years ago was the only dry municipality in the state, and even now allows only beer and wine sales in food establishments, no hard liquor and no bars. Dry counties and towns still exist here and there in the USA. If religious agitation against "demon rum" still has that power in some places, prostitution...c'mon.
 

SsgtC

Banned
There was a small village in Northern Wisconsin, originally founded as a Moravian church settlement in the mid-19th century, which until 3 years ago was the only dry municipality in the state, and even now allows only beer and wine sales in food establishments, no hard liquor and no bars. Dry counties and towns still exist here and there in the USA. If religious agitation against "demon rum" still has that power in some places, prostitution...c'mon.
Fun fact: the county in Kentucky that is home to Jack Daniel's distillery, is a dry county. They are not allowed to sell their own product there.
 
Dry counties and towns still exist here and there in the USA. If religious agitation against "demon rum" still has that power in some places, prostitution...c'mon.
There are places in Mississippi, Kentucky, Alaska and elsewhere where it is illegal to possess beer in the privacy of your own home.
 
This could also happen if the Progressive Era had continued. But for that too happen, I think you need the United States to stay out of both Worlds Wars. Especially WWI. Harding won with his "return to normalcy" which was a broad rebuke of Progressive Reforms, which was in turn a reaction to the recession after the War and the War itself. Keep the Progressive Era going and eventually those values will become the norm verses Harding's more Conservative policies.

Yeah, sorry. I wasn't really clear there. I meant the Progressive Movement overall would, I think, eventually lead to legalised prostitution.

Were any members of the progressive movement for legalizing prostitution? I would think it would go the other direction. I've had an ultra-dystopian TLIAD about 40% finished for a while now that diverges with the progressive movement going really, really off the rails...
 
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