Legal Prostitution in the United States Essay

Some say prostitution is the world 's oldest profession. Yet, only a small percentage of the world’s government allows it. The legalization of prostitution is a very controversial topic due to many people’s moral beliefs. Prostitutes all over the world are treated as outcasts. A reason for people to be against prostitution could be due to their religious beliefs, moral standpoints, or lack of knowledge over the subject. Many religions state that sex outside of marriage is a sin and those who do it should be looked down upon. Due to these beliefs people tend to be against the legalization of prostitution. Though there are many facts that show that prostitution should be legalized. Prostitution should be legalized in the United States because then it can be regulated, would help the economy, and would lower the prison population and crimes against prostitutes.

Prostitution is said to be “the world’s oldest profession” (Ramchandran par. 1). The Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines prostitution as “the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money” (“Prostitution” par. 1). Many people argue that prostitution should be legalized, but it hurts people more than it helps. Legalization of prostitution condones sexual behavior for profit. Not to mention, the increased risk of illness or infection via sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), or death. It also does not “enhance women’s choices” (Raymond par. 45). This means that whether

Those opposing the legalization of prostitution believe that there are several reasons why the United States should not legalize the buying and selling of sexual acts. If prostitution were legal, sex trafficking in the United States would surge (Bruckert and Hannem 47). In order to avoid being taxed, entrepreneurs would simply kidnap girls and sell them into an underground trafficking system, making a business of their own (Perer 829). Children and teens would be abducted, forced to take drugs, and forced to prostitute themselves for the profit of their kidnapper (Bruckert and Hannem 47; Perer 829). Sex trafficking would be used to avoid the use of sexual protection. Johns will pay more for a girl who does not make them use a condom, and this alone could spark a new interest for sex trafficking (Perer 830). Sex trafficking is a horrible industry that most abducted girls never make it out of, and legalizing prostitution will only make it worse (Wagenaar and Altink 280).

The legalization of prostitution has been a compelling two sided argument for many years. When morals and reasoning combine, it is often hard to come to one solution. Prostitution is considered to be a serious issue in countries around the world. The amount of prostitution has been increasing tremendously every year and it seems to be getting more serious than the past centuries. The government has legalized prostitution in a few countries and people are wondering if this will become an all over the world thing. There are two very different views to legalizing prostitution that I would like to explore.

Although within legalizing prostitution, sexually transmitted would decrease dramatically, which also stated in the Legalizing Prostitution Would Protect Sex Workers from HIV article from NPR.org: the transmission of HIV among female sex workers would go down by at least a third, according to a paper presented at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia (Brink). The main reason there is so much spread of such diseases is the fear of evidence; with the current laws people would rather not use protection and have a lower chance of evidence against them if caught for soliciting sex, hence the wide spread of HIV and STDs. With the legalizion of sex work and prostitution there would be a higher use of protection and a halting in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases as well stated in the same article Legalizing Prostitution Would Protect Sex Workers from HIV from NPR.org: By decriminalizing prostitution and having safer environments, indoor environments, we could avert 33 percent to 46 percent of new HIV cases among sex workers over the next decade (Brink). In addition, the legalization of prostitution and sex work has been proven to decrease crime rates such as rape and physical abuse such as displayed in Mexico City and the Netherlands. It is logical that instead of

Throughout history, prostitution has been an issue of intense debates in the US and the larger global society. Many countries legally prohibit prostitution and associated activates. Except Nevada, the United States also illegalizes prostitution. However, the benefit of legalizing prostitution in the US would not only be for the workers but also for the economy as well. It is high time that prostitution be legalized for various reasons.

Prostitution would be much safer in the United States if it were legalized. A study was done in the 1980’s that found that around 124 sex workers were murdered every year in the United States (“Atlantic City Prostitutes Taking Precautions as Death Toll Rises”). If the states would legalize prostitution within brothels only, measures could be taken to keep the prostitutes

Prostitution is illegal in the United States and the laws keeping it illegal are causing more problems than they are solving. Because there are no regulations or laws protecting sex workers in the United States, and everything is run underground, there is nothing stopping the mistreatment and abuse of sex workers in the United States. The only way to protect sex workers is to legalize prostitution. In the following paper, I will attempt to prove that prostitution is a victimless crime and the laws against prostitution are hurting prostitutes more than they are helping them. If we want prostitutes to remain safe while earning a living, the only way to achieve this is to legalize prostitution.

Deep-seated opinions and radical views come and go, but one that prevails (with topics such as the legalization of marijuana) is the legalization of the profession that has been around for thousands of years—prostitution. The dispute over whether prostitution should be legalized has long troubled many American citizens as well as becoming an extremely controversial issue in America. Although many spiteful claims have been made about the act of prostitution, the truths are slowly beginning to resurface. Disregarding moral accounts, there are far more political and diplomatic facets that must be taken into account when making a national decision of this caliber. Prostitution can be used for professional purposes and can also be used as another form of tax revenue and the only people that are benefitting from this business are pimps who are making hefty profits, tax-free. I believe that prostitution should be legalized because it could help the economy and society as a whole; if the government regulated it, it would be a taxable business. Although deemed immoral, Legalizing prostitution comes with a major benefit, a positive economic impact to the country it was legalized in; this reason could help America thrive economically.

Prostitution is known to many as “the oldest occupation”, but when examined, the harsh reality of the sex industry is exposed and it is visible that prostitution is more of a form of oppression than it is a profession. The oldest occupation has many names: prostitute, streetwalker, hooker, escort. These types of terms are just examples of how the women who participate in this industry are reduced to labels and objectified. This social oppression is met with physical violence among sex workers, making it the most dangerous profession in human history. If it is so violent and horrible to participate in though, then why has it existed for all of these centuries? The answer is that the entire

The costs of legalized prostitution such as rent to the brothel owner, medical examinations, and any registration fees are paid by the women involved in prostitution, thereby increasing the number of sexual encounters

If Prostitution became a legal profession the rate of STD’S throughout the business would decrease significantly. “Researchers at the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, presented a new paper in which they studied HIV among female sex workers in Canada, India and Kenya. They found that infections could be reduced by 33 to 46 percent in those countries if prostitution were made legal… Because prostitutes fear getting caught by law enforcement, they rush the process along with clients and often don’t take the time to discuss protecting against STDs (Goldberg)”. If prostitution remains illegal then, prostitutes and/or sex workers will be less likely to contact the police in an emergency. However, if legal sex workers will

Thesis: 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.

Prostitution is currently an illegal act that has existed for centuries in the United States of America. Throughout the history of prostitution, this act has been endlessly evolving; however, the basic terms of prostitution in which a person engages in sexual activity with another being for a payment has remained constant. It seems apparent that a stigma is attached to the prostitution industry involving participants from both sides. In fact, people possessing negative judgments toward prostitution are highly accepted and this is where the majority of people stand on this issue. Unfortunately, many people don’t understand the entirety of the prostitution industry, as this business in one of the most complex occupations in the world. According to the FBI, prostitution is the third largest criminal enterprise and is solely the fastest-growing business of organized crime in the country (Hill & Walker-Rodriguez, 2011, p. 1). With this being said, a change within the framework of prostitution must be met to combat the dangers presented. Presently, prostitution is illegal in the confines of the United States of America, with the exception of eight counties within the state of Nevada. The current solution to this countrywide problem is placing a ban on prostitution. However, it has been made apparent that outlawing prostitution has nearly no effect on diminishing the presence of this illegal activity. In fact, a grant of $44 million was administered to sixteen cities

Decriminalizing prostitution in the United States will be a hazard to the nation. Prostitution has been often called one of the oldest jobs in the world. However, it has been illegal in nearly all societies throughout history. Currently, there have been various countries where prostitution has been legalized by the government, allowing people over eighteen year olds to work as prostitutes legally. Nonetheless, those countries have had several negative effects following the legalization of prostitution. Nevertheless, this series of events have sparked discussion in the United States over whether or not the country should allow prostitution in all fifty states. The ban against sex work had previously consisted massively on moral and religious mandates for several hundred years. However, in modern times, enough research has been conducted in distinct areas of the country and the industry in order to come to a conclusion without morals or religious believes involved. It is critical to realize that legalizing prostitution cause negative impacts on society due to an increase in crime, financial detriment, and spread of diseases. In order to understand the concept of this debate profoundly, one must examine the areas that would compromise the nation’s safety. Such include an increase in crime related to the sex industry.