Prostitution

Urban police departments have added a new twist to the centuries-old conflict over the sex trade: They are seizing the cars of men caught soliciting prostitutes. These unprecedented efforts to target the demand side of this ancient phenomenon were mounted in response to vocal citizens groups. They complain that street prostitution brings noise, declining property values, a bad environment for children and a health threat evidenced by the used condoms and drug paraphernalia littering city sidewalks. Civil libertarians call the tactic unconstitutional, but in the AIDS era the issue takes on a special urgency. Meanwhile, old debates over decriminalizing prostitution have been rekindled, and women's groups are sparring over the fundamental ethical question of whether men and women should be allowed to sell their bodies.