AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Monday that partially decriminalizes prostitution in Maine.
The bill, LD 1435, as amended, eliminates the crime of engaging in prostitution and raises the solicitation of a child for commercial sexual exploitation from a Class D crime to a Class C crime.
The bill also makes language changes in state law to rename the crime of “patronizing prostitution of a minor or a person with a mental disability” to “commercial sexual exploitation of a minor or a person with a mental disability” and renames the crime of “solicitation of a child to engage in prostitution” to “solicitation of a child for commercial sexual exploitation.”
It’s that funny how that works out. It’s viewed as paying them to be on camera not the sex. It’s like selling a rubber duck and drugs so you can’t be charged with a drug crime, that was just a free bonus.
I guess it’s kind of like escort services. “We aren’t saying you can’t have sex with the customer, but we’re not saying you shouldn’t.”