I don't want to prolong a discussion that may have petered out (!), but it seems to me the essence of several recent threads can be best understood if we accept the notion that Western romantic love based on Christian notions of sin, as glorious as it can be, places enormous expectations on both partners that are rarely fulfilled. Why? Because those notions, based on the need to bolster the family, do not account for some aspects of human nature, that is, the powerful sex urges/needs most of us have; the reality that both men and women will find people other than their partners attractive; the normal stresses of life that erode marital bliss, etc. So most marriages inevitably have a heavy injection of disappointment, even if the marriage is still viable. People who stray from their marriage vows are judged sinful and depraved; providers are considered "fallen women," sluts, etc. Not fair, I say. And not realistic, and not sustainable in modern society where our basic natures have outlets even if they are deemed illegal by a hypocritcal and hidebound society.
As for laws, the underlying principle should be that private behavior between consenting adults is not the business of government, law enforcement, or even organized religions, although individuals'opinions will always be informed by their personal beliefs, whatever the source.
Well the law views Prostitution as bad because of the risks of spreading HIV. Also, Organized Crime is often behind the scenes in Prostitution. Those AMP's are not family owned businesses, they are overseen by Organized Crime. Your discussion seems to be similiar to the question, "Should Marijuana be legalized".
As far as morals, well if a marriage is failing, but the parents stay because they have parental responsibilities, the man still has needs. Getting into a regular relationship with a woman in secret is like taking on a second wife, so thus the provider/client relationship exists for that reason.
I have noticed over the years that what destroys the careers of famous people is sex. It shows all people are human. All we see are those caught having affairs, imagine how many famous people have not been caught. What about non-famous people. We judge them all as bad, but they are not. They are human. Pres. Clinton was unhappy with his marriage, thus Monica Lewinsky. He is human.
I gurantee those same people judging morality have skeletons in the closet.
As long as you are nice to people, take care of your family responsibilities, respect your religion and all religions and just appreciate the gift of life, be kind to animals, etc, I think you are doing just fine in life.
Prostitution has been illegal long before HIV, and would be illegal (in this society anyways) if there were no STD's at all. Also, prostitution hampers the spread of STD's because most sex workers use condoms while people conducting casual affairs do not generally speaking anyways.
Also, it's not the sex that got people like Bill Clinton into trouble, it was the attitude of society when he got nailed. There's an important distinction to recognize there. For comparison of an exreme case, look at the case of women who are raped in certain societies and are killed by their families for their "crime".
I agree wholeheartedly however with your last paragraph.
When asked once what his religion is, he had to think for a moment and then responded:
"It's the one with all the well meaning stuff that doesn't work out in reality....Christianity."
It's been my experience that the more pious they are publicly, the more freaky they are privately.