For debate: Should prostitution be legalised and regulated?

doi:10.1136/bmj.39191.709919.3A

BMJ 2007;334:863 (28 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39191.709919.3A

Letters

Stigmatising sex workers

For debate: Should prostitution be legalised and regulated?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The BMA's annual public health conference is an opportunityfor doctors to air public health issues and debate them, tochallenge each other and establish what is known and what isnot known.¹ The specialty of public health takes evidence basedmedicine at least as seriously as other specialties, but fromtime to time it is important to free oneself from its fetters.

On 29 March a motion was put forward from the West Midlandsregion (that I drew up): "That this conference believes thatthe key to prevention of sexually transmitted disease is two-fold:(i) school based education that ensures that all children understandthe risks associated with unprotected sexual intercourse beforethey become sexually active, and (ii) the legalisation and regulationof prostitution." The first part of the motion was acceptedby the conference. The second part was taken "as reference":a polite way of saying, go back . . . [Full text of this article]

C J Spencer Jones, chair

Committee for Public Health Medicine and Community Health (CPHMCH), BMA House, London WCIH 9JP

dalgie@bma.org.uk