"It's like fishing..." Indoor prostitution in Taiwan and Rhode Island

Taiwan has begun a process of legalizing prostitution : "Taiwan's cabinet will issue regulations within six months, when new regulations take effect, covering locations in Taiwan approved for prostitution."

"It's like fishing," Su said. "The activity may be legal, but in some places you can't do it."

"Taiwan outlawed prostitution 11 years ago, but older sections of the capital Taipei still teem with underground sex workers in bars and night clubs on the upper floors of high-rise buildings."

"Taiwan is the latest place to legalise prostitution. New Zealand allowed brothels to operate freely in 2003, when parliament narrowly voted to overturn 100-year-old sex laws. A court in Bangladesh decriminalized the trade in 2000, but for women only."

And in Rhode Island, things may be moving in the opposite direction.
The Providence Journal has a story about how indoor prostitution was decriminalized in Rhode Island (perhaps inadvertently, the story suggests) as part of legislation aimed at strengthening laws against public solicitation: Behind closed doors: How R.I. decriminalized prostitution. (HT: MR). The story goes on to describe ongoing attempts to reverse that:

"This year, as they have for the last three years, several state lawmakers are pushing to rewrite the 1980 law. A bill that passed the House earlier this month clearly states that anyone who engages in sex for money is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The bill is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. " (emphasis added)

Money is at the root of a lot of repugnance.