Really, you guys have given me no reasons to support the legalization of prostitution.
As liberals, are you not concerned with the message it sends to legalize prostitution? It would be to say that it's okay to treat women as sexual instruments. It would send a message that it's okay to think of women as less than human. You guys have actually taken on conservative talking points to argue with me here. Do you not understand how devastating it would be the feminist movement and to leftism to declare in a single voice that women are just sex objects?
This isn't an issue where the libertarian stance of "just legalize it" should be taken, because this isn't an issue of freedom - the freedom to be a prostitute. This is an installment in the ongoing culture wars. This is about protecting the dignity of women, and protecting the right to be considered equally human.
If you have truly legitimate reasons for supporting this, then quit retreating to conservative talking points, like accusing me of "moralistic grandstanding."
Well put.