Sex work would be legalized in New York under a new bill which aims to cut down on trafficking
- Sex work could be broadly legalized in New York state under a bill introduced by state legislators on Monday
- A group of lawmakers came forward with a 13-page bill that would bring big changes to the sex trade in the state
- The bill would make it legal to both buy and sell sex under certain circumstances
New York state would legalize the buying and selling of sex under a proposal introduced in the state Legislature that would lift criminal penalties for sex work.
The bill was announced Monday and isn't expected to get a vote before the Democrat-led Senate and Assembly plan to adjourn for the year next week.
The bill would make it legal to both buy and sell sex under certain circumstances.
A group of lawmakers came forward with a 13-page bill that would bring big changes to the sex trade in the state
Sex work could broadly legalized in New York state under a bill introduced by state legislators on Monday
The bill, written with advocacy group DecrimNY, would make it legal to both buy and sell sex under certain circumstances and modifies laws around facilities used as places of prostitution
Supporters say criminal penalties for prostitution haven't worked, and that legalization would improve sex worker safety while reducing trafficking and exploitation.
Speaking at a press conference Monday, former and current sex workers talked about being forced into the industry as minors.
They said many sex workers rely on their jobs to make ends meet, and that laws against prostitution only hurt vulnerable people with few other options.
'For us, this is a bodily autonomy issue — our bodies, our choice — but more than that, it's an economic issue. And it's personal,' said Jessica Raven from advocacy group DecrimNY, in a Daily News op-ed.
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Two of the bill's sponsors, state senators Jessica Ramos and Julia Salazar, pictured, have said that 9 out of 10 people arrested in sex-work-related massage parlor raids are immigrants
Assembly Health Committee Chair Dick Gottfried announced intention to introduce comprehensive decriminalization bill this session. He is pictured here in February
The bill, which has been written with DecrimNY, would make it legal to buy and sell sex under certain circumstances.
Two sponsors of the bill, state senators Jessica Ramos and Julia Salazar, noted that 9 out of 10 people arrested in sex-work-related massage parlor raids are immigrants - with many of them undocumented Asians.
Currently, Nevada is right now the only U.S. state where prostitution is legal in some counties.
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