The winner of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary was Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim democratic socialist who has been a member of the New York State Assembly since 2021. Conservatives are ecstatic that they have a professing socialist to attack so as to deflect attention away from their support of socialistic programs and policies like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and public education.

Mamdani advocates higher taxes on rich property owners, corporations, and millionaires; free childcare for children up to five years old; rent control; fare-free city buses; raising the city’s minimum wage; single-payer healthcare; and city-owned grocery stores.

Although many conservative opponents of Mamdani are hypocrites, their criticisms of his plans are nevertheless spot on—except for one thing. The Rape of the Mind: ... Joost A. M. Meerloo Best Price: $14.72 Buy New $2.99 (as of 06:50 UTC - Details)

Mamdani has advocated the decriminalization of prostitution. He told reporters he wants his policies to reflect those of ex-mayor Bill de Blasio, who advocated “community-centered services” for sex workers instead of arrest.

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat and a socialist in all but the name, and an opponent of Mamdani in the November election, is now the darling of conservatives for making this remark:

I’m a man of God, just as Mamdani says he’s a Muslim. I don’t know where in his Quran it states that it’s OK for a woman to be on the streets selling their body. I don’t know what Quran he is reading. It’s not in my Bible. As a man who said he is of faith, I don’t quite understand what religion supports prostitution. You’re not doing any service to a woman who is on the street who is forced to sell her body for whatever reason.

So, is prostitution okay?

From a health and morals perspective, prostitution is certainly not okay, even if it is 100 percent voluntary and does not involve trespassing on someone’s private property.

I have no argument with anyone who says that prostitution is immoral, sinful, bad, unnatural, debauched, lewd, unholy, lascivious, indecent, shameful, unhealthy, risky, and potentially dangerous.

No one with any sense—except a deranged left-libertarian opposed to value judgments at all—would support or be ambivalent about his wife, daughter, aunt, mother, grandmother, granddaughter, mother-in-law, niece, or sister being involved in prostitution. No one but a libertine (which should never be confused with a libertarian) wants prostitutes hanging out on their street corner or near the local high school.

From a libertarian perspective; that is, a property and freedom perspective, prostitution is okay—not because it is wholesome, good, or harmless (it is just the opposite)—but because it is not the job of government to concern itself with how people choose to make a living, spend their money, or have sex as long as they don’t violate the personal or property rights of others when they are doing these things.

What consenting adults do on their private property, or on the property of others with permission, is none of the government’s business (and it is none of your business) as long as their actions don’t infringe upon the rights of others. This is still true even if what they are doing is immoral, and even if the majority of Americans don’t approve of what they are doing. The Kennedy Autopsy 2:... Hornberger, Jacob Best Price: $11.77 Buy New $9.99 (as of 05:51 UTC - Details)

There is a big difference between not approving of someone’s actions and thinking the government should arrest, fine, and imprison someone for doing something that some people don’t approve of.

Two things that Mayor Adams said deserve a challenge: “I don’t quite understand what religion supports prostitution. You’re not doing any service to a woman who is on the street who is forced to sell her body for whatever reason.”

First of all, no religion “supports” prostitution. Not arresting, fining, and locking in a cage prostitutes and their clients is not supporting prostitution. And second, just because a woman is on the street selling her body does not mean that she is being forced to do so. Not every prostitute has a pimp, and not every pimp is forcing women to sell their bodies. And neither is poverty to blame. There are plenty of poor women in every city in the United States who would not even think of engaging in prostitution.

Now, none of it means that libertarians countenance trespassing, loitering, or other violations of property rights that might occur when prostitutes seek or service customers. And none of this means that prostitution that involves coercion, trafficking, children, assault, exploitation, or kidnapping is okay. These are real crimes that no free society would approve or tolerate.

So, from a moral standpoint, prostitution is not okay; however, from a property and freedom perspective, it is okay. Therefore, from a legal perspective, prostitution should be okay as well.

The Best of Laurence M. Vance