why was it criminalized at all eleven years ago?

Looks like they had an unworkable ban that they had to roll back.

It is NOT a "victory" for "sex workers everywhere". A victory for sex workers everywhere will be the day when the 87% of prostitutes who desperately want to stop selling themselves to strange men can LEAVE the so-called "profession". That day will be a victory.

Judy, until you've sold your own body cavities in a dark alley to an ugly violent man, don't tell others what is a victory for prostitutes.

The only victory for the great majority is an opportunity to get out.

Normalization of prostitution in a society does not achieve this. Please stop plugging for it. It might seem enlightened but its really not.

I think it's safe to say that there's a difference between treating an underlying condition, like ovarian cysts, and providing IVF free of charge--IVF does not treat anything, it just implants a zygote.

If women get depressed because they are childless, it's because a sexist culture places so much importance on reproduction that the planet is literally being destroyed by it. I support insurance covered treatment for depression--but not IVF.

As a previous supporter said, we need to do all we can to encourage fewer children. This sends the wrong message. Also, women need to learn, from very early on, that they do not "need" children. Quite the opposite.

The reality TV shows glorifying litters of kids, these kinds of arguments for giving everybody who wants kids expensive and destructive drugs to make damn sure they get them, reversing sterilization, all of it--points to a continuing obsession with breeding that is going to kill billions one day when we begin to fight in earnest for food and water. It's frightening and sad.

P.S. I'm a female who was told she wouldn't have kids who subsequently had two. I'd have been fine either way, probably better off without them financially. Men who want to date me still want to know if I will have more children so they can have their own, and invariably move on when I say I won't. Kids are a tough issue, I know. Rationality doesn't enter into it. But I've had two, which is plenty, and would be just as happy with none.

My root canal isn't covered by any insurance, even though it's the only way to save the tooth and avoid an even more expensive implant after an extaction. Obviously, my having teeth is not really deemed necessary.

My contact lenses, which are not the normal ones but rather a special kind that I have to wear, are not covered by any insurance. Obviously, I don't really need to drive or read if I can't do it without cheap, heavy coke bottle glasses.

But with 7 billion people in the world, insurance is supposed to pay for my IVF if I can't have children?

What planet do you people live on?

There are so many necessary procedures and services which are out of pocket expenses because the powers that be have decided they are electives and there are cheaper albeit more unpleasant alternatives (like having your tooth pulled vs. a root canal). Who wants insurance to pay for Octomom?

She was on welfare and she still figured out a way. Other women can too.

IVF for the childless is a luxury, not a necessity. Let those who want it that badly pay for it themselves, the same way I have to pay for the things I need that aren't true medical necessities.

There has to be a limit somewhere.

The economy in the U.S, is not going to offer you too many opportunities anywhere for the forseeable future.

So why not go abroad as an English teacher for awhile?

At my language school, one of the teachers was an out of work actor, and he was one of the best teachers we had.

You'll be employed, you won't be too overworked, and you'll be in a new locale to explore. So, consider getting a TEFL certification and giving it a try.

One, no, two caveats: first, the field of ESL (English as a Second Language) has become increasingly professionalized in the last few years, and its not really for hippies who happen to be native speakers backpacking their way around the world any more. You now need to have an academic degree, a recognized qualification like CELTA, and be willing to work for less money than in the past....the wages have gone down. Second, don't go to Korea...every wannabe writer there is seemes to be teaching in Seoul and thinking that slumming around Asian brothels is going to give them Something Big to write that novel about (the only good book I know about that came out of a teaching-English-abroad stint is set in Prague, a place that now trains a ton of ESL teachers).

If you do it, join the professional organization in the region you're heading to, like MELTA for southern Germany or TESOL Arabia for Dubai. This will help a lot.

Even though its now much more difficult to land a job worth having, its still one of the few fields that are actively growing--Turkey alone is going to need 30,000 English teachers next year.

So, give it a thought. It might give you a needed breath of fresh air! Good luck and remember you always have options in this world.