Hearty kudos to State Senator Paula Aboud for standing up for those in no position to protect themselves, under the hardest of political circumstances. Senator Aboud worked to head off making felons of prostitutes this session. Many would just stay quiet rather than advocate for a widely despised group like prostitutes, an principled stand which might too easily be twisted, but Senator Aboud proved that she’s got the courage to do what is right, even when it’s hard.
Prostitution is a human rights issue. Our only concern should be the safety, health, and well-being of the women involved and of their customers. Trying to impose the morality of the majority concerning consensual or voluntary behavior upon the rest of society through the coarse instrument of criminal law has frequently caused many more problems than the objectional behavior itself. Prohibition of alcohol, the ‘drug war’, the criminalization of homosexuality, and prostitution are but a few prime examples. Senator Aboud may or may not share these views, but she fought an important, and frankly rather thankless battle. She, and any others in the state legislature who opposed Senator Chuck Grey’s misguided and punative policy, deserve our thanks.
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