Legalizing Prostitution : The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

It’s called the oldest profession in the world, but despite its longevity in almost every society and culture, sex work is illegal in most places. Research suggests that the decriminalization of prostitution would be beneficial because it would reduce the danger posed to sex workers, stop imposing a civil law on a morally wrong activity when sex is consensual, and provide the government a tax income instead of a legal expense.

Prostitution, also referred to as “the oldest profession,” has always been a controversial and challenging social issue. It is practiced in many different forms including: call girls, convention prostitutes, apartment prostitutes, hotel prostitutes, house prostitutes, bar girls, streetwalkers, and parking lot lizards (). Civilizations such as the Samarians, and countries including Morocco and parts of India engaged in a form of prostitution known as temple prostitution. Temple prostitution is based on the belief that “generative activity of human beings possessed a mysterious and sacred influence in promoting the fertility of nature” (Clarkson). In other civilizations, such as the Roman and Byzantine Empires, prostitution was looked upon as less of a religious ceremony, and more of a sin practiced by “women of evil life” (ProCon.org). Today those differentiating view are still present in modern society, but there are also new ideologies surrounding the everlasting presence of prostitution. This Essay will use the Symbolic Interactionism Theory to identify those new ideologies, and evaluate the meaning of prostitution within three relationship: the husband and wife, the Call girl and client, and the Pimp and the sex trafficking victim.

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.

In the United States, with the exception of Nevada, prostitution and sex work is illegal. If taxed and regulated, it can bring more benefits not only to the economy but to smaller aspects as well, such as health care and crime rates as opposed to keeping it illegal and penalizing it. Therefore, prostitution and sex work should be legalized in the United States. Prostitution is viewed as bad thing within society, morally; yet the many benefits are often not spoken of, which are that prostitution would lower sexually transmitted diseases and crime rate all while improving health care and the economy. Prostitution is legal within 61 countries, 22 out of the 25 safest countries to live in prostitution is legal according to Procon.org and worldatlas.com.

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.

In his book Love For Sale, Nils Johan Ringdal wrote, “If nobody wants to sell sex, it is a crime to force anyone to do so. But when men or women do want to sell their bodies, they should have that full right without encountering punishment or discrimination.” Prostitution, often described as the world’s oldest profession is a legitimate criminal offence in 109 countries of the world today (“Human Trafficking Statistics”). Laws on prostitution vary considerably from country to country: in some countries it is punishable by death penalty ("Iran - Facts on Trafficking”), in some it is a crime punishable by prison sentence, while in other jurisdictions, it is a lesser administrative offense punishable only with a fine ("The Sentencing and

Last week our class discussed the multiple thought provoking questions and statements put up on the board. While discussing, I realized that my beliefs are based upon my upbringing. This includes my familial structure, my religion, my parent’s political affiliation, and more. Being that my parents are liberal, I have grown up watching CNN and learning to accept all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and more. I learned through my Judaism and schooling, as well as my peers. My mother also works in the Pennsylvania State Health Department in Sexual Transmitted Diseases and Tuberculosis. With that comes an understanding of the need for public health care and assistance. As I have matured into a young adult, I have continued along the same path.

Even though many cases of sexual assault on prostitutes continue to raise eyebrow in the US, the argument of having prostitution registered is more controversial than the solution it sorts to provide. There are a lot of issues that will come up upon legalization of prostitution in the US. More importantly, it should begin with understanding what legalization of prostitution is and the impact it would create in the sex industry.

Prostitution is supposedly the oldest profession in the world. It is legal in some countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany. However, in the majority of the world, prostitution is illegal. The legalization of prostitution has become a popular dispute between what is morally right and wrong. There would be economic benefits in the amount of revenue that governments generate if prostitution were to become a legal line of work. However, many people are against legalizing a profession that is considered immoral. It is a profession that is going to take place, whether or not it is legalized. Legalizing prostitution is needed to ensure those who provide and those who pay for this service, a safer and healthier environment. This essay will provide supporting evidence for this claim.

Prostitution, is an old occupation, where women are employed in selling sex for money. Money, can be a key component and motivator to why women become prostitutes. Most of the prostitutes come from low-income backgrounds. Prostitution is a well-paying occupation for women. Prostitution provides increasing income for all prostitutes varying from one another. Many places in United States, except Nevada, banned prostitution. In the late 1800s, women solicited sex from men for money to earn profits, which has proceeded over the years. Lower-class prostitutes look to sell sex for money to supplement their income. Some start at a young age to come up with ways to pay for books and tuitions, without realizing the consequences or danger involved. Prostitution is illegal and most are not eager to be studied.

The legal status of prostitution varies from country to country, from being legal and considered a profession to being punishable by death; in some jurisdictions, prostitution is illegal. In other places, prostitution itself (exchanging sex for money) is legal, but most surrounding activities such as soliciting in a public place, operating a brothel and other forms of pimping are illegal, often making it very difficult to engage in prostitution without breaking any law. In a few jurisdictions, prostitution is legal and regulated. (ChartsBin)

The job of prostitution is just that: a job. Men and women all over the world choose to engage in sexual activities for money. Although people often confuse prostitution with sex trafficking, these are not the same thing. Legalizing prostitution could lower the spread of STDs and undocumented rapes in the communities; whereas, legalizing prostitution would not legalize trafficking. The criminalization of sex work should be abolished.

Prostitution is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. It is currently illegal in most of the world. The question of whether or not it should be legalized is one that draws divides between many people. Knowing the history of prostitution is essential to understanding the issue today. Prostitution has been prevalent all over the world for thousands of years. Known as the world's oldest profession, the first evidence of prostitution dates back to 2400 BC in Mesopotamia (Carrasquillo 699). Although Mesopotamian society did not endorse prostitution they did recognize it. The code of Hammurabi which originated in Mesopotamia named prostitution as a female occupation but prostitutes still held a status lower than that of slaves (Carrasquillo 699). Prostitution was also very prevalent in ancient Rome and Greece. In ancient Rome even high ranking men used prostitute’s services (Carrasquillo 701).Both of these ancient governments used registration and brothels to regulate prostitution. They also restricted what prostitutes could wear and where

Prostitution is defined as the act of “providing or receiving sexual acts, between a prostitute and a client, in exchange for money or some other form of remuneration” (Hock 557). The idea of exchanging sex for valuables has been around since the beginning of human society. The first reported data about prostitution was reported around 3000 B.C.E in one of the first known civilizations, Mesopotamia (Caraboi and Fierbinteanu 362). It is often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” Today, even though prostitution is illegal in most parts of the world, it is still prevalent worldwide with different ways to exchange sexual services for payment and many different types of prostitutes. One of these types of prostitutes are brothel workers; brothel workers work in “a house of prostitution,” a brothel, which are normally in areas where prostitution is not criminalized or is legalized (Hock 560). Like prostitution, human trafficking has been around for thousands of years and is still present today.

Prostitution has frequently been touted as the world's oldest profession, for the simple fact that it has been prevalent in society for quite some time. In order to properly discuss the many social ramifications of this particular crime and possible ways for dealing with them, it is first necessary to define prostitution and to explore the reason why it is a crime. Prostitution is the exchange of money or monetary assets for sexual favors and pleasure. It is the paying for sex in all of its myriad facets, from conventional coitus to a number of lewd and arcane acts from which people derive pleasure. Prostitution is part of the sex industry, which includes legal business such as strip clubs (Weitzer 7). There are a couple of different reasons as to why exchanging money for sex is deemed illegal. One principle reason is that if it were legalized, it would be exceedingly difficult for the government to tax and to capitalize off it, which is one of the reasons in which marijuana is widely considered illegal. More importantly, however, prostitution is illegal because it promotes the objectification of women and their bodies, and inherently reduces the degree of parity between men and women in which the latter are viewed as things simply for the fulfillment of men's sexual desires. Additionally, there are a variety of noxious activities that accompany prostitution such as trafficking in which the will of another is subjected to someone else's.