Romanian Senate Rejects Bill Legalizing Prostitution

The bill, put forward by democrat liberal senator Silviu Prigoana, authorized paid sexual activities, listing the persons who may perform such activities, the place where they may take place, hygiene and authorization norms. It received a negative opinion from the chamber’s committee for legal matters, which was adopted by the plenum with 89 votes in favor, six against and five abstentions.

The Government had announced it does not support the bill, arguing that it harms fundamental family values.

While some MPs dismissed the initiative on moral grounds, others, even while voting against it, said the phenomenon of prostitution cannot be ignored and called for an open debate on the matter, grounded on analyses and statistics.

The bill will be also debated by the Chamber of Deputies.