The dream is to be married to one's beloved happily ever after, with no need of outside satisfaction. Some find this, usually those with the self-control to delay gratification and wait. To love with their bodies, not for lust and pleasure.

Prostitution is the nightmare opposite of that.

Greg Lorriman, Leatherhead, UK

In the Netherlands, after legalisation the following happened:
1. Municipalities use the licensing to get the criminal capital out of the business (Amsterdam recently shut down a third of all Red light district "windows")
2. Dutch prostitutes who do not want to pay taxes go uderground in escort

Peter, Amsterdam,

I just get a little tired at the automatic assumption that a sex worker is feeding a drug habit or has/is been/being trafficked or otherwise has issues not found in 'usual' society.
It is clear by observation that the vast majority of women advertising escorting etc are happy and normal folk

Mike Taylor, Andover, Hants England

Just as surely as there are women who are trafficked into sex work, so are there those who choose it freely. There are laws against kidnapping, rape, intimidation, so use them and leave the many intelligent, well-educated, independent women who choose sex work, and the men who visit them, alone!

Max Gentle, London, England

Ian: the majority do it because Tesco pay won't cover their drug habit. However there's also those who'd rather work 2 nights/week for £1000 than slave 100 hours for £200 with never a chance to relax, see their kids etc.

The real moral imperative is ensuring nobody, man or woman, faces this choice.

Lizzie, London,

No, Pamish, you are confusing "sex" and "making love". They're having sex with the prostitute, but not making love.

Ross, lancaster, UK

Feminism is about choice. I'm a sex worker and I'm a feminist. I am also a spirit, possess a soul and live in a body, I am not simply a "body" or an "object". I'm a person who has chosen this line of work because I enjoy it and know I play a worthwhile role in society.

Ariana Chevalier, Bristol,

Once again we have an article with one simple flawed fact

Paying for sex in the UK is not illegal, I would expect better from the Times.

Jane, Manchester, England

Why not decriminalise ALL ways of 'earning a living'? Don't drugs dealers etc provide a required service to consenting adults? (selling drugs to youngsters could still remain criminal just like under-age sex). If using prostitutes is a valid lifestyle option then so is taking heroin.

Eric Skelton, Cardiff, Wales

"Sex encounter" as well as being a clumsy phrase, is a misnomer. These men are not buying sex, they are renting a body to masturbate into. That's not sex, though sex workers are very skilled at disguising the difference.

Pamish, London,

The thing that seems to always be missed in this debate is that men are victimised by this business as well. Seeing a prostitute can be addictive, in a similar way to drugs. The same pathways in the brain are stimulated and the same pattern of shame, revulsion and then repitition can occur.

Mike Firth, Surbiton, UK

If it's all about earning a wage why should men or women only clubs be allowed? Does it mater where the money comes from and isn't that discrimiantion in the work place? People don't choose who they serve coffee to or deal with in the bank. It's not 'personal' it's a profession ... no?

Darren Canning, Edinburgh, UK

Sex workers are essential to the sexual wellbeing of many people, relieving touch-deprivation of people who never get touched and the sexual frustration of people who are unable to masturbate because of weak or missing arms. They play an important role teaching disabled people about their bodies.

Dr Tuppy Owens, London,

59% believe prostitution is a reasonable choice of work? Are you kidding? what rubbish statistics, maybe the poll was taken in a brothel/ something? What about the health risks/side affects, stds, genital warts, aids, abortion... never mention the psychological issues..

Thelma, Ireland,

All there is is Humanity or lack of it. To treat a person as an object in whatever capacity is to treat them without humanity. This is by definition a fact because human beings are 'beings' and not objects.

I Samwell, Northampton, UK

Oh at last some sense, of course prostitution should be legalized. A campaign must be mounted and I will be very happy to help. Do it Joan !.

Maxine Long, Godalming,

Four cheers for Joan Bakewell! More trouble is created by our prostitution laws than prevented. Studies confirm sex workers are far safer indoors than on the streets, where they are left after raids and the prosecution of those providing safe environments. We pay the price for political cowardice.

Stephen Paterson, Conwy, Wales

59% agree [this] is a perfectly reasonable choice of work; 37 % would not be ashamed if a family member worked as a prostitute. I find this hard to believe. May be they want to seem more open minded. If this were the case, prostitution (for girls and boys) would be discussed in 'careers' evenings?

R Wells, London,

Or watch "Lilya 4ever", the most harrowing movie I've ever seen.

To be sure, the legality of prostitution is something which should be debated, but only after we've managed to do something serious about human trafficking, which otherwise would massively exploit any legality offered.

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

It's so odd when commonsense hits newspaper columns. All the paradigms (1. exploitation 2. trafficking, or today's favourite 3. slavery) are nonsense. 99.99% of women working in the industry do it because it is more fun than working at Tesco, has better conditions and is easier. Blame Tesco, not men

Iain, Tokyo, Japan

Ms Bakewell brushes over the issue of sex slavery in a phrase or two, perhaps because it weakens her argument. But it's a huge global issue, involving hundreds of thousands of young women. It seems shallow simply to ignore it. Read F. Benjamin Skinner's expose, A Crime So Monstrous, and weep.

George Patrick, Oakville, Canada