HEALTH OFFICIALS BACK PROSTITUTION FINE HIKE

Fine: Any Deterrent Will Help

The possibility of a decrease in sexually transmitted diseases and other
related activities such as alcohol abuse and illegal drug use has the
Oklahoma City-County Health Department advocating passage of a bill that
would raise fines for prostitutes and their customers. Any deterrent to
prostitution will help decrease sexually transmitted diseases, Dr. Paul
Dungan, director of the city-county health department, said Tuesday.

In light of the health ramifications resulting from prostitution, the
city-county health department commends legislation like Senate Bill 1502,
Dungan said.

"These people have an obvious risk" of contracting and transmitting
diseases, Dungan said. "They can reduce their risk by reducing their number
of partners."

SB 1502 would toughen fines for anyone found guilty of prostitution. If
approved, the fine would be $2,500 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second
offense and $6,000 for third and subsequent offenses.

Fines for customers found guilty of soliciting sex also would be increased.
The proposal also seeks to end an "own recognizance" bail system for those
accused of the crimes.

Sen. Keith Leftwich, who along with Rep. Al Lindley authored the bill, said
he's glad the health department has given its endorsement of sorts to the
legislation.

"This kind of overt prostitution winds up taking over a community," often
quashing its well-being in terms of economic and health activities,
Leftwich said.

"You have needles and condoms laying in people's yards and in the street.
Yes, it is a public health issue," Leftwich said.

Health officials said about 125 people each week request evaluation or
treatment for sexually transmitted diseases through the city-county health
department's sexually transmitted disease clinic. One out of every four of
these people tests positive for one of the most common sexually transmitted
diseases -- syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia.

The number of syphilis cases has resulted in Oklahoma City being ranked the
sixth highest in the country among cities with similar population
demographics, Dungan said.

Oklahoma City, he said, is the "crossroads" of America and as such, is
often a target for a number of illegal activities including drugs and
prostitution. He said people engaging in prostitution are sometimes from
other parts of the country and bring to the state any number of different
strains of diseases such as tuberculosis.

Leftwich said officials have found that prostitution -- including the
activity occurring recently in a south Oklahoma City neighborhood -- is
conducted by people "working a circuit," many of them from other states.