The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts supports the full decriminalization of full service sex work, also known as prostitution, and endorses Massachusetts Bill HD.2200 - “An Act to promote the health and safety of people in the sex trade” - as a first good step in that direction. A resolution to this effect was adopted by the LP Mass State Convention on March 20, 2021.
Libertarians defend individual freedom for everyone with no exceptions. The platform of the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts has two pillars: Self Ownership and Non-Aggression.
Non Aggression means that the use of force against another person in an aggressive manner is always wrong and that force is only justified in self-defense.
Self Ownership means that you own yourself, that you should have final say as to what happens to your body.
This concept of Self Ownership includes sexual activity between consenting adults and consequently also sex work by consenting adults, which the Libertarian Party wants to see fully decriminalized. The platform of the Libertarian Party at the national level explicitly states: "The Libertarian Party supports the decriminalization of prostitution. We assert the right of consenting adults to provide sexual services to clients for compensation, and the right of clients to purchase sexual services from consenting sex workers."
Criminalization of full service sex work is not only inherently unjust, it causes severe harm as an open letter by over 250 researchers and scientists to the Biden administration recently layed out. It gives rise to a system of abuse, is arbitrarily enforced, directly victimizes full service sex workers, and puts them in harms way while denying access to the most basic rights. Criminalization prevents full service sex workers from negotiating safer sex, screening clients, seeking help, or even being seen as a person worthy of dignity and respect. It increases the leverage that coercive people have over full service sex workers in all parts of their lives, makes full service sex workers homeless and pushes them out of public spaces, it takes their children from them and it raises yet another barrier to entering conventional employment.
The crimnalization of full service sex work is often justified under the guise of combatting human trafficking. But this is conflating two separate topics: Self-determined sex work is not human trafficking, and human trafficking is not limited to forced sex work. The criminalization of full service sex work can in fact play into the hands of human traffickers and often leads to re-victimization. Human trafficking is modern slavery, plain and simple, and it should be combated with determination regardless of for what purpose humans are subjected to it without conflating other issues.
Criminalization of full service sex work has utterly failed at its goal of protecting people from sex trafficking. In fact, it has made it worse, just as clearly as the War on Drugs has failed to eliminate addiction and has made addiction worse by making people afraid to receive treatment and creating irrational stigma. It is overdue for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to lead the way, abolish the oppressive and unjust laws crimnalizing sexual activity between consenting adults and treat sex work as work and sex workers as human beings.
Massachusetts Bill HD2200 introduced by Lindsay N. Sabadosa and co-sponsored by Sal N. DiDomenico, Erika Uyterhoeven, Nika C. Elugardo, Christine P. Barber, Patricia A. Duffy, Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Jack Patrick Lewis, Mike Connolly, and Ruth B. Balser would repeal laws against full service sex-work by consenting adults in the Commonwealth and overturn convictions as well as expunge records.
The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts urges the legislature of the Commonwealth to pass this bill as a step toward greater bodily autonomy and personal freedom.
HD2200 has been referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. Please take action and contact your State Representative or Senator and ask them to support Bill HD2200, especially if your Rep or Senator is among the members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
Find your state rep’s contact information here.
Call: You will probably not get the legislator directly but speak with an aide – that’s fine, they’ll get the message.
Hello, my name is _____.
I am a registered voter in Rep _____’s district. I am calling to ask her/him to support Bill # HD2200.
It is overdue for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to lead the way, abolish the oppressive and unjust laws criminalizing sexual activity between consenting adults. Sex work needs to be treated as work and sex workers must be treated as human beings.
Is the Sen/Rep supporting this bill?
I hope she/he will help champion this bill and work to move it to the floor* for a vote.
Thank you so much.
Email:
Dear Sen/Rep _____.
I am a registered voter in your district. I am writing to ask you to support Bill # HD2200. I hope you will help advance this bill and work to move it to the floor for a vote.
Criminalization of full service sex work is not only inherently unjust, it causes severe harm as an open letter by over 250 researchers and scientists to the Biden administration recently layed out. It gives rise to a system of abuse, is arbitrarily enforced, directly victimizes full service sex workers, and puts them in harms way while denying access to the most basic rights.
Criminalization prevents full service sex workers from negotiating safer sex, screening clients, seeking help, or even being seen as a person worthy of dignity and respect. It increases the leverage that coercive people have over full service sex workers in all parts of their lives, makes full service sex workers homeless and pushes them out of public spaces, it takes their children from them and it raises yet another barrier to entering conventional employment.
The crimnalization of full service sex work is often justified under the guise of combatting human trafficking. But this is conflating two separate topics: Self-determined sex work is not human trafficking, and human trafficking is not limited to forced sex work. The criminalization of full service sex work can in fact play into the hands of human traffickers and often leads to re-victimization. Human trafficking is modern slavery, plain and simple, and it should be combated with determination regardless of for what purpose humans are subjected to it without conflating other issues.
Criminalization of full service sex work has utterly failed at its goal of protecting people from sex trafficking. In fact, it has made it worse, just as clearly as the War on Drugs has failed to eliminate addiction and has made addiction worse by making people afraid to receive treatment and creating irrational stigma. It is overdue for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to lead the way, abolish the oppressive and unjust laws crimnalizing sexual activity between consenting adults and treat sex work as work and sex workers as human beings.
Massachusetts Bill HD2200 introduced by Lindsay N. Sabadosa and co-sponsored by Sal N. DiDomenico, Erika Uyterhoeven, Nika C. Elugardo, Christine P. Barber, Patricia A. Duffy, and Kate Lipper-Garabedian would repeal laws against full service sex-work by consenting adults in the Commonwealth and overturn convictions as well as expunge records.
Thank you so much, (sign your name and address)
Letter: Basically the same as email.
