Legalizing Prostitution : The Pornography Industry Essay

According to Jacqueline Barnhart in her book, “The Fair but Frail,” there is an increase of sex crimes in locations where prostitution was made legal. She also argues legalized prostitution promotes and contributes to

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.

Legalization of prostitution will promote more sexual unacceptable activities such as child prostitution. It is estimated that about two million children are exploited in the sex trade yearly (Global Sex Trafficking Fact Sheet). Child prostitutes are considered safer than adults because many customers feel less likely to contract a STD due to their young age. Forty percent of the US adult prostitutes today say they were illegally trafficked into the trade as children. Males make up twenty percent of US prostitution population and averaged a starting age of fourteen. Women make up seventy percent and averaged the same starting age of fourteen (Prostitution Statistics You Have to Know). It is naïve to say that prostitution, illegal or legal, does not promote child prostitution. The trafficking and presence of child prostitutes has had known increases in countries where prostitution is legalized due to supply needing to meet demand. Victoria, Australia legalized prostitution in 1984, and was found to have a dramatic increase in child organized commercial

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.

It is rather odd to think that prostitution, which is considered to be the world’s oldest profession, would be illegal and harmful in nature. The issue of legalizing prostitution has entered public conversation around the world, which is severely divided. Many, like myself, consider prostitution to be a victimless crime. Despite such opposition to legalizing prostitution, many argue that legalizing it would result in decreased morality issues, increase the economic activity in the United States, and help decrease the number of sexually transmitted diseases among both prostitutes and those who patronize them,

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 could lead to a breeding ground for organized crime in places that it is legal. In Australia, illegal brothels and sex trafficking increased due to the legalization of this service and in the Netherlands, gang crime increased which left the government scrambling to buy back property owned by brothels to gain control back over the industry. Not even the workers are truly safe in their work either because many of the women brought into the industry only ended in it because of their backgrounds. They had childhood emotional trauma from experiences like rape that forced them into the industry. These women also become trapped in the industry once they begin because of the stigma surrounding this issue because they feel they could not

In the state of California, many progressive matters such as same-sex marriage and marijuana are widely accepted and legal, and the oldest profession in the world should be, too. Prostitution is illegal in 49 out of 50 states, the exception being Nevada. Prostitution has been around for centuries, but has yet to be embraced by many cultures as ‘socially acceptable’. The underground operations and stereotypes of prostitutes have created the stigma that prostitution is a job for low-life, uneducated women who deserve less than human rights. From the law to feminists, people have been ostracizing prostitutes because of their occupation. Could the persistent moral issues and stigmas that prostitution connotes be detrimental to sex workers? Will

Prostitution, also known as commercial sex or solicitation, is the business of preforming sexual activities in exchange for monetary compensation. Prostitution can be seen in many different outlets, from brothels and streetwalkers, to top of the line escort or call-girl services. Prostitution laws make it a crime to suggest, consent, or participate in a sexual act for the benefit of receiving payment (FindLaw, 2016). Prostitution is one of the first known female occupations and appears as early 2400 B.C.

The first thing that someone may think about when they hear the word prostitution is that it’s illegal but also dangerous. This is a completely fair claim to make, however if America legalized prostitution, it would be a completely different story. If there was to be a standard policy implemented that would ensure safety in all aspects, prostitution would no longer be viewed as a negative thing. Likewise, nobody would be forced into anything as opposed to those currently involved in the business. Prostitution in America should be legalized because if there was a standard policy, then there would be less health risks, no more danger for the girls involved, and regulations on the market.

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

According to Stephanie Chen, former Writer-Producer for CNN, "experts estimate 1 million to 2 million prostitutes work in the US and about 78,000 arrests are made for prostitution and commercialized vice." she writes in her CNN.com article. Prostitution itself goes back to 2400 B.C and like any other service or profession prostitutes are paid, so why not legalize it as an official job? The US has stamped the name of prostitution as a crime when not only it could benefit the workers but if it was legal it could benefit the economy of the United States tremendously.

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.

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.