From what I've been hearing from some French bloggers, Mark- this level of prostitution is pretty much par for the course. 
Chirac endorses the Da Vinci Code movie! Yeah, that'll do wonders for its box office in the States.
Chirac will endorse anything that will make him seem sophisticated....
Meanwhile, legal prostitution hasn't brought touted benefits in the Netherlands. The French might want to check that out.
Same old, same old. Brothels were legal (and even city-owned) in medieval Europe but both the Reformation and CounterReformation suppressed them.
Weren't brothels tolerated because it was believed their presence would discourage the even greater sin of sodomy?
Brothels are legal in most counties here in Nevada.
The state hasn't burned down yet . . . .
No, it was to protect "honest" women from being accosted on the street. Harlots had to wear identifying clothing and the municipal brothels were regulated. The girls usually quit at 30 and got married if they could.
A far more vicious and pervasive vice culture was prevalent in 19th C European cities. There were as many whores as housemaids in Victorian London. Josephine Butler's activism, plus worries about VD and maltreatment of prostitutes finally persuaded English authorities to clean things up. Prostitution is legal today in Britain but no sidewalk solicitations.
"No, it was to protect "honest" women from being accosted on the street. Harlots had to wear identifying clothing and the municipal brothels were regulated."
Okay, thanks. Supposedly certain cities required prostitutes to solicit while bare-breasted, as well.
Do you happen to know any references about brothels in the papal states?
John Wesley polemicized against them, but I don't know how well-informed he was:
"But with spiritual fornication, as elsewhere, so in Rome, fleshly fornication is joined abundantly. Witness the stews there, licensed by the Pope, which are no inconsiderable branch of his revenue."
Sandra Miesel wrote: "municipal brothels were regulated."
I can't speak for the rest of Nevada, but here in Churchill County brothels are regulated thusly:
1) The girls must be paid at least 51% of revenue;
2) The girls must get medical exams at least once per month;
3) The girls may only work within the brothel, i.e. no streetwalking;
4) All brothels must be licensed.
Practically speaking, point 4 is the biggest hurdle for most would-be brothel operators. Last August the County Board here denied a license application from a group that wanted to open a brothel, not because of any moral qualms but because they just weren't convinced that the proposed business plan was realistic.
Brothels in Nevada are almost always located out in the boonies. I have never heard of a legal brothel operating within the city limits of any town or city in this state. The nearest brothel to my house is five miles outside of town (and is, incidentally, currently closed for business.)
Finally, it is interesting to note that two of the counties in Nevada that DON'T allow prostitution are Clark and Washoe Counties. That would be Vegas and Reno, our two largest cities, and demonstrably the most liberal places in this (red) state. Go figure.
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