A proposed law could make Illinois the first state to decriminalize sex work under the guise of “safety,” though the details of the legislation are still unclear.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that legislation will be filed sometime this week. A press conference held Monday was attended by representatives from various groups, including Equality Illinois (an LGBTQ+ advocacy group), Brave Space Alliance (another LGBTQ+ nonprofit), the Sex Worker Advisory Group (which advocates for more safety for sex workers), and the Chicago Abortion Fund. Equality Illinois and the Sex Worker Advisory Group have lobbied for the decriminalization of sex work for years.
It is unclear at this time how the Chicago Abortion Fund is involved with the promotion of the legislation. That group’s mission is “to advance reproductive autonomy and justice for everyone by providing financial, logistical, and emotional support to people seeking abortion services and by building collective power and fostering partnerships for political and cultural change.” Perhaps contradictorily, the group also claims to “envision a world where everyone has the freedom and autonomy to create lives, families, and communities that are healthy, safe, and thriving and where the full range of reproductive choices, including abortion, are accessible and affirmed.”
Abortion is linked to sex trafficking, with traffickers often forcing their victims to have abortions as a method of control and subjugation. As Live Action’s Aiding Abusers investigation found, abortion industry leader Planned Parenthood has covered up child sexual abuse for decades; trafficking victims name Planned Parenthood as the most frequent place they’re taken for abortion and other services by their abusers. Numerous real-life predators have been aided by the abortion industry, with Planned Parenthood specifically even caught on camera encouraging traffickers to pose as guardians of their underage victims.
Anti-human trafficking group Freedom Network USA apparently supports the idea of decriminalization, with spokesperson Darci Flynn stating that criminalization means a “lack of workplace protections, safety measures and workers’ rights make them vulnerable to abuse,” adding that “Human trafficking is caused by deep structural inequities, which are made worse by the criminalization of sex work.”
However, a group in favor of the Nordic Model (instituted in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Canada, France, Ireland and Israel, under which prostitutes and sex workers face no criminal charges, but those who buy sex do), says that in fact, “a study of 150 countries… found that there’s more human trafficking where prostitution is legal/decriminalised. A study for the European Parliament came to the same conclusion, and so does economic theory” (emphasis added).
It’s not clear if the Illinois legislation would fully decriminalize sex work, or if it would be similar to the Nordic Model, which aims to give those in the sex trade a way to get out by criminalizing the purchasing of sex instead of the workers themselves. While prostitution is currently a misdemeanor in Illinois, the bill would reportedly remove all penalties for prostitution, remove arrest and conviction records for sex workers, and establish a sex workers’ bill of rights.
“Full decriminalization of adult consensual sex work is proven to keep workers safe,” claimed co-sponsor State Rep. Will Guzzardi, according to Advantage News. “It’s a policy that respects everyone’s rights to make private choices about their bodies, while freeing up law enforcement to focus on traffickers and violent abusers.” Guzzardi also introduced a bill in the Illinois house, which has already passed, that will replace the word “prostitute” with the phrase, “person engaged in the sex trade.” Sex work bill co-sponsor Celina Villanueva and Guzzardi both represent Chicago districts.
In Illinois, no parental consent or notification exists any longer for minors to obtain abortions; one must wonder if sex work legislation, under the guise of “bodily autonomy,” might also seek to include minors.
According to WTTW, Sex Worker Advisory Group Chair Reyna Ortiz claimed, “It’s really just making sure that when we’re making these exchanges, that we’re not so worried about the policing of our bodies, and also, you know, getting your door kicked in when you’re engaging in sex work. People don’t really understand that it really is just two adults coming to an agreement. It’s transactional.”
But many transactions impact more than just the “two adults” involved, and heterosexual sex — which has the potential to create children — is never truly a mere “transaction.”
Tell President Trump, RFK, Jr., Elon, and Vivek:
Stop killing America’s future. Defund Planned Parenthood NOW!
