The Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments on the constitutionality of Canada’s prostitution law on Thursday (June 13), as demonstrators from both sides of the issue aired their views on its outdoor steps.
In court, federal lawyer Michael Morris argued that the Ontario Court of Appeal went too far last year when it struck down the Criminal Code ban on bawdy houses on the grounds that the law puts sex workers in danger by forcing them to work outside.
“In the face of a complex social problem, uncertainty and contradicting social science evidence, we submit that the Ontario Court of Appeal erred,” Morris argued.
Osgoode Hall law professor Alan Young, who is leading the court challenge, slammed the “mythmaking, fear mongering and storytelling” of his legal opponents and the “powerful lofty rarefied statements that don’t reflect the law.”
Several justices of the court pointed out that prostitution is not illegal in Canada, but that activities related to it are.
More information:
CBC News – Brothels’ legal status pondered by Supreme Court – here
National Post – Supreme Court grapples with prostitution laws, hears ‘fear mongering’ behind decriminalization foes – here
Canadian Press – Sex workers have staged demonstrations across Canada to push for legalization – here
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