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UK Politicians Push For FOSTA SESTA-Style Sex Censorship (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the copy-paste-decision-making dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: If you're familiar with the phrase "that's a terrible idea, let's do it" then you might be one of the British MPs who think that the UK should do its own version of FOSTA-SESTA. That's exactly what Labour MP Sarah Champion has done by leading a debate this week for the creation of laws to criminalize websites used by sex workers in the UK -- under the rubric of fighting trafficking, of course. A self-appointed group of MPs (the "All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade") fronted by Ms. Champion made a call to ban "prostitution websites" during a Wednesday House of Commons debate. Conflating sex work with trafficking just like their American counterparts, they claim websites where workers advertise and screen clients "directly and knowingly" profit from sex trafficking.

6 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. All employment is prostitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Let's outlaw it all.

    UBI FTW!

  2. Once again: prostitution is sex trafficking by pots · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Trafficking just means trade in illegal goods. If selling sex is illegal, than prostitution is sex trafficking.

    I realize that it's pedantic to bring this up every time someone claims that these laws are trojans, but it's not irrelevant: if they make a law against sex trafficking and you cheer for it, and it turns out that you don't want a law against prostitution... well that's at least partly on you. Yes they're taking advantage of public confusion over the word, so they certainly deserve some of the blame, but at least some of that blame also needs to fall on the people who demand laws without any understanding of what those laws are or what they mean or their consequences.

  3. For GOP, but not for thee. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The bill was signed into law by President Donald Trump on April 11, 2018

    Show of hands: Who is surprised that Republicans would enact these kind of repressive laws as soon as they got into power? The Great Leader can engage in all the prostitution he likes, but the rest of you better clean up your act.

    In related news, family values stalwart Rep. Jim Jordan (R- The Holler), turns out to have been jacking it to boys getting molested for years as a wrestling coach. And what is it with Republican wrestling coaches and the sexual abuse of young men? It wasn't that long ago that the most powerful Republican in the nation did hard penitentiary time for molesting boys. What is it that draws Republicans to become wrestling coaches?

    https://www.politico.com/story...

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/...

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  4. The solution is... by Black+Art · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Forced castration for anyone who votes for this peice of legislation. If you don't want people to use their sexual organs, you don't get to use yours.

    --
    "Trademarks are the heraldry of the new feudalism."
    1. Re:The solution is... by currently_awake · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Or more constructively: Have a mandatory inspection of all proposed laws to see if they are Constitutional. If they are not and it gets thrown out by the courts, then everyone who voted for it is liable for damages.

  5. Re:Prostitution is legal in the UK. by WaffleMonster · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling, having or managing a brothel, pimping and pandering, are crimes. They should just outlaw whores anyway, they spread disease and bring other crime

    The consequences of resulting loss of legitimacy is usually worse than the "problem" you are trying to fix.

    Governments monopoly on violence can only be used to beat down outliers. It's not a magic wand. If you want a magic wand move to North Korea.