Unprecedented Prostitution Proposal in CO Threatens Us All

The state of Colorado (CO) has officially taken the lead in the race among radically progressive states to introduce legislation that would decriminalize prostitution statewide.  This proposal is unprecedented.  No state has ever attempted full statewide decriminalization.  Just as Colorado was the first to legalize the sale of marijuana — ushering in significant cultural and social consequences — they are once again attempting to make history by normalizing another form of moral decline.

While some mistakenly believe prostitution is legal throughout Nevada, that is untrue. Only certain rural counties permit it under strict regulation.  Even the Las Vegas Strip does not allow prostitution, nor even the sale of marijuana.  CO’s proposal goes far beyond anything previously attempted, and to make matters worse, Colorado SB26-097 eliminates municipal opt-out authority, meaning no city or county would be allowed to say “no.”

The bill ensures that operating and advertising a place of prostitution would no longer be illegal or subject to investigation.  Imagine Amsterdam’s Red Light District transplanted into Main Street America.  Under this framework, prostitution storefronts, billboards, and commercial areas could legally appear in communities across CO, openly advertising the sale of human bodies.

In an unsurprising move, the legislation also removes the word “prostitution” from statute entirely, replacing it with the sanitized phrase “commercial sexual activity.”  Language matters.  Redefinition often precedes normalization.

In recent years in CO, statutes have been entirely re-written to reclassify minors as “youth,” subtly reframing children as independent decision-makers rather than individuals in need of parental protection.  Colorado HB19-1120 lowered the age of mental-health consent to 12 years old … the consequences of which a 12-year-old girl, without parental knowledge or consent, transitioned behind their backs.

The most common argument is that prostitution involves “consenting adults.”  But those words deserve strict scrutiny.  Being sold for sex remains being sold for sex … regardless of terminology.  Calling it “commercial sexual activity” does not change its nature.

Is an 18-year-old high-school student with an underdeveloped brain truly consenting?  Is a drug-addicted young woman consenting?  Is a trafficking victim who knows no other life consenting?  Is an emotionally vulnerable adult who believes selling her body is her only option genuinely free?  And what message do we send to today’s children when prostitution storefronts become normalized parts of everyday community life?

At a recent hearing for Colorado HB26-1082, the Children Are Not For Sale Act, legislation aimed at strengthening penalties for child sex trafficking to life in prison.  The bill was killed immediately despite overwhelming testimony highlighting the growing exploitation of minors.  During the hearing, more sympathy appeared directed toward those who might accidentally purchase children for sex than toward the victims themselves.  

It is also important to recognize that this bill does not legalize prostitution through regulation — it decriminalizes it.  Rather than establishing safeguards or accountability, decriminalization risks creating a law-enforcement vacuum.  Without investigative authority, trafficking networks may operate more easily, making it harder to identify and rescue victims, including children.

Scripture warns us plainly: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).  Senate Bill 26-097 may or may not succeed this legislative session, but proposals like it don’t just disappear.  They return in new forms, spread to other states, and gradually reshape cultural norms.

Christians should recognize this moment for what it is — not merely a political disagreement, but a spiritual battle over the dignity of human beings and the protection of children.  We are called to speak truth, defend the vulnerable, and stand firmly for what is good, even when doing so is unpopular.

The future of our communities and the moral formation of the next generation depends on whether we are willing to do exactly that.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel