Louisiana Lawmaker Wants to Legalize Prostitution

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State representative Mandie Landry dropped a bombshell yesterday when she marked Sex Workers Rights Day (March 3rd) with the announcement that she would author a bill to do away with the laws that make the world's oldest profession illegal.

According to WDSU, Landry is talking about nothing less than making prostitution legal in the state of Louisiana.   During a press conference yesterday, the Democratic representative from New Orleans said:

"The younger generation, people my age and younger, don't understand at all how the government could ever enter your bedroom and tell you what to do.  If two people engage in a relationship in their own home, whether they exchange money or not, it's between them."

Immediately following the announcement, The New Orleans chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America issued this statement in support of the proposal:

"We all consume the work of sex workers, and these workers deserve fair compensation and freedom from fear of criminalization"

There were also signs of support from organizations like Women with a Vision, who released this statement from the group's director, Deon Haywood:

We stand with sex workers in their right to labor without harm, their right to economic access, their right to a healthy working environment, and their right to engage in consensual sexual labor

Critics say that the move would allow criminals like pimps and human traffickers to continue to victimize young girls unchecked.