Criminalizing Sex Work

Prostitution does not directly harm anybody in the society. This is because the people at higher risk of the consequences of prostitution are the prostitutes themselves. Since they are the victims, it makes little sense to arrest the “victim” for their own violation. In fact, legalizing prostitution will boost sex workers’ confidence in their duties hence ensure that they protect their clients in the best way possible. For example, sex workers would take the fact of using condoms and also get tested for sexually transmitted diseases on a routine basis. Such efforts would make both women and the society

Whether or not the United States should legalize prostitution is a highly debated social, political, ethical, and cultural issue. Prostitution by definition is to engage in sexual activity with someone for payment. Although many countries and even some rural counties in the U.S. have legalized prostitution, it still has dire effects on the women involved and is an immoral and exploitative act. Prostitution is an unethical and immoral act of exploitative, degrading, and abusive work that the United States should not tolerate. The abolition of prostitution is a legal approach with proven positive results that could dramatically reduce the amount of illegal prostitution and human trafficking taking place in the United States.

Prostitution has been around as long as human beings have engaged in sexual activities, and it is even touted as the world’s oldest profession. Despite these proclamations, the subject of prostitution continues to spark controversy in the United States in moderns times as it is a hot debate topic. Off and on, throughout the years, various states around the country have proposed that the practice should be decriminalized; however, it remains illegal nationwide, except for a few counties in Nevada. The reasons for this stem from both sides of the argument, as anti-prostitution advocates claim decriminalization of prostitution is immoral and sexually exploitative, while pro-prostitution advocates want to keep the government out of the bedrooms of consenting adults. No matter the stance for or against prostitution, the current legal construction surrounding it is undeniably harmful. Regardless of the arguments against prostitutes, it is time to decriminalize the laws against this practice to protect the rights of sex workers.

The world’s oldest profession, as they say, is under a great deal of scrutiny, especially from those in the U.S. In other countries, however, prostitution doesn’t carry the same negative connotation, as it does in the U.S. In Canada, The Netherlands, France, and many other countries, prostitution has been legal for some time now. Domestically, the counties surrounding Las Vegas are famous for being home to the only legal commercial fornication in the U.S. Still, to look at Nevada alone when discussing the subject would be to neglect the majority of prostitution that occurs in the US. Illegal sex work frequently takes place in the U.S., which is often accompanied with violent crimes.

The sex industry is highly divided between those who call themselves “sex workers”, and former prostitutes who call themselves “survivors” (Glazer 340). Women should have the right to choose what they do for a living, including prostitution. The criminalization of prostitution does more harm than good when often women are left unprotected, both socially and legally, and therefore, the United States should make efforts to decriminalize and regulate prostitution instead.

The discrimination and brutalization of sex workers is evident in the stories that they share. In the Human Rights Watch report, a sex worker named Brenda told her story stating that she “went into a car with a person. He said he was a police officer and said ‘if you help me I’ll help you.’ He said he wanted oral sex. He showed me a badge. He said if I didn’t have oral sex with him he would call the police and arrest me for prostitution” (qtd. in Human Rights Watch). Due to sex working being illegal, prostitutes are forced to do the bidding of others because of their lower station in life. Sex workers are unable to seek justice through courts because they have no solid ground to stand on from participating in the illegal act of sex working in the first place. The police, clients, and pimps are able to do whatever they want with the sex worker by dehumanizing them and reducing them to property that can be bought and sold. Legalization would bring a transparency to sex working that would permit a legal course of action against violent or coercive offenders. Crime would be alleviated in communities with the currently unknown corrupt and violent assailants going to

It is currently estimated that there are one million prostitutes in the United States. None of the prostitution businesses in America pay taxes because of their illegal status. If they were legalized, they would have to pay taxes which would mean that the government would receive revenue. Brothels in Nevada pay taxes to the counties where they do business, allowing each county to thrive economically. It is estimated that each legally licensed sex worker would contribute more than $20,000 in federal income taxes each year, which would mean that the government would receive an astounding $20 billion a year from the one million prostitutes currently working in America. Keeping prostitution illegal would mean that the government is losing the opportunity to gain this large sum of money each

I agree with Toni Mac that there should be a better law for sex workers, since many people think the opposite way. Most of sex workers do not have other choices beside selling sex. They have to feed themselves and their family. They need to pay bills and keep up with the living expenses. Of course legalized sex workers would not be the best solution because it interferes with women, as well as human right, but a better law system for sex workers should be established. I think that beside decriminalizing the law for sex workers, the government need to create more jobs and options for people who has a criminal in their record. By doing this, people with criminal in their record can have more choices beside seeling sex.

Releasing laws on prostitution … specifically, legalizing this area of the sex industry, will create a profound impact on society. While halotry (as it was once commonly called) has its detractors and negative connotations, the benefits outway the problems society consistently point out. Society at large questions the merits of legalizing prostitution, when in fact there are several advantages legalization could create. At a minimum, legalizing harlotry will make the job significantly safer and keep sex workers and clientele healthier. By placing a public and government spot-light on prostitution, the public can expect to see less violence, for fear of prosecution and fines. If the government and or an organization stays on top of the work prostitutes do, there’s a likely chance sexually transmitted diseases will decrease; human trafficking and illegal children in relation to prostitution will also diminish. On an even higher note, this “new” occupation will assist in dropping unemployment and benefit the economy, tax payers, and government. While there are certainly strong points as to why legalizing prostitution is wrong and unorthodox, there’s powerful evidence that supports the concept of legalization. For instance, if one looks at the history of prostitution, they’ll learn how long prostitutes have been around and how they were all but welcomed and accepted in older societies! Existing laws on harlotry, pertaining to the majority of the U.S, must be converted; not only

government. The decriminalization sex work is a completely different policy than the United States has had on sex work, but the current laws on sex work have been harmful to the sex worker. There have been high rates of death and violence. They are denied parental rights and are often evicted due to their work. They cannot get health care due to the discrimination and stigma they face at clinics. The U.S. government needs to change their position on the rights of sex workers because by decriminalizing this work, it will benefit the country socially and financially. It is illegal to conduct sex work in most places in the United States, and therefore the sex workers are constantly putting themselves at risk for death, sexually transmitted disease, and abuse. In order for the United States to keep its status as a country that honors basic human rights, it needs to take the step that will allow the sex workers their basic

As many people know, most people who work in this field are women and under the law, this puts women at a higher risk of being abused (Picard 1). With prostitution being illegal, it does no justice to the women who work in the field now, because it only causes greater risk to them now, compared to when it is legal. Other countries have considered prostitution a real job, and with that came work benefits such as health care and protection. Not only does this lower the incarceration rate of the women in the field, by no longer considering them criminals, they finally get the protection they deserve. With many countries already having prostitution legal, such as new zealand, many others are considering following when they really sit down and consider the benefits of prostitution (Dill 1). Workers will finally have access to health care, and make them safer by having their STD checks and basic medical help by the government, ending with a win win with the government and the workers, the workers get protection and the government gets more tax

Prostitution being illegal causes a rapid increase in rape and assault which causes trauma and domestic violence issues. Legalizing prostitution would help make the sex workers feel safer and more secure. Studies show legalizing sex work in America would decrease rape and assault roughly about 25%. Sex workers in licensed brothels can have someone to back up the violence if it was to occur. (Kirby

Sex is a topic that is rarely openly discussed in America. Some would say that is an example of moral decency, others might argue that this is just a prudish mindset we inherited from early puritan settlers. Sex for pay or prostitution, is one concept so at odds with this taboo that it has been declared immoral and illegal. Forty-eight out of fifty states have decided that prostitution should be illegal. On the surface, this widespread ban on prostitution may appear to combat the spread disease and sex slavery, but, upon further inspection, this assertion might not be supported by facts. The creation of a legal and highly-regulated form of prostitution in the United States could help slow the rate at which sexually transmitted diseases

Secondly, legalization would allow better protection for the sex workers. Prostitution is considered a “victimless crime”; whereas, that tends to be untrue. The prostitutes are the victims. Between

Instead of the law protecting the sex worker from health problems it creates more health problems and unsanitary working environments. The reason that the law creates more health problems and unsanitary working environments is because the