Petition launched in Oregon to decriminalize sex work

Here we go again, this idea was introduced in the 2021 Legislature Session earlier this year by Rep. Rob Noose (D, HD-42) as HB 3088. Now we’ve got a person pushing for it via the New York City-based Sex Workers Project, which is the same group who asked Rep. Rob Nosse (D, HD-42) to sponsor HB 3088, making Oregon a test case for decriminalizing prostitution.

***** Beauty supplies at a club. (WW archives)

A philanthropist filed a petition to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office on a law that will decriminalize sex work in the state, The Associated Press reported.

Chief petitioner Aaron Boonshoft filed the Sex Worker Rights Act on Tuesday (11-16-21).

Organizers have said the Sex Worker Rights Act will end criminal penalties for those participating in consensual adult sex work, add health and safety protections and maintain laws against human trafficking, according to the AP.

Advocates have argued that state laws that criminalize sex work have made it difficult for sex workers to report rape, harassment and human trafficking to authorities.

Sex workers often fear reporting those crimes could lead to their arrest, the AP reported.

“Sex worker rights are human rights, and the denial of those rights enables human trafficking,” Boonshoft said.

The filed petition comes as an attempt to address the issue before voters in the upcoming 2022 election, the AP reported.

Sex Worker Rights Act campaign political director Anne Marie Backstrom said that sex workers deserve to do their jobs “without the fear of arrest or violence,” the AP noted.

“Our current system is broken and harms sex workers,” Backstrom said. “Sex workers deserve to do their job without fear of arrest or violence, and, like all workers, they deserve access to healthcare, labor protections, and public services.”

Posted at The Hill by Olafimihan Oshin on 11-16-21

Date: 2021-11-17 10:11

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  1. Legalizing sex work is not enabling for either men or women. Without police to enforce the boundaries this will quickly devolve just like the legalize drugs for personal use. Sex workers should get different jobs as there are a lot available. This state gets dumber by the day with the few leading the many and not reviewing consequences or even caring about them.

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