Will Prostitution Be Legal In New York Soon?

A new bill has been introduced to decriminalize sex work in New York State.

The New York Post reports that several state legislators have introduced a bill to stop punishing people who buy, sell, and promote sex work. The bill would eliminate several laws that criminalize sex work. Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, a Democrat from Manhattan, is a lead sponsor of the bill.

Gottfried argues that "Trying to stop sex work between consenting adults should not be the business of the criminal justice system. It has not worked for a couple of thousand years," according to the New York Post. Seven legislators support the bill: Senator Julia Salazar, Senator Jessica Ramos, and Assembly members Yuh-Line Niou, Dan Quart, Ron Kim, Catalina Cruz, and Gottfried.

According to the New York Post, Gottfried is aware that it will be a long-term effort to put the legislation in motion if fully passed and that it does not include any safety regulations. However, it is the first bill of its kind in the U.S. It seeks to uphold laws involving human trafficking, rape, assault, battery, sexual harassment, and sex work concerning minors or coercion. It aims to cut roughly a dozen laws like selling sex for money, buying sex, promoting prostitution, and loitering for the purpose of prostitution.

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