Prostitution: Should A Change Be Made? 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 has been a part of our world's culture since the beginning of time, and is the world's oldest profession. Prostitution is defined by the Webster dictionary as “the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money.” If prostitution were legalized, there would a reduction in sex crimes, American citizens would have the freedom to choose any profession within the sex industry and it would provide economic benefits for the local and federal governments, as well as the population.

There are obvious cons and pros to the topic, but in this case the positive outcomes seem to outweigh the negative elements. In order to present my position on the issue I will provide three main positive outcomes that result from legalizing prostitution. The first being that legalizing this activity can benefit the economy as it can become a great source of revenue for the state considering it would be a popular business in Las Vegas. The topic which will be discussed secondly is in defense to the people involved in this profession, whether it be the workers or those who seek the services. I will discuss how in the 21st century this activity is not

For women its all they can do in order to break themselves of being poverty stricken sometimes. So who are we to deprive them of their right to do whatever they want with their body? It could be the only thing that keeps them from feeding there family from a dumpster. Nevertheless, the government doesn’t care about that, all it cares about is regulating something it sees as supposedly “bad,” that is paying for sex. One of the benefits of legalizing prostitution would be that the government would actually be able to regulate it. This would make it a more supervised practice, so it wouldn’t spread AIDS and herpes and other diseases. The prostitutes could be tested just like they are tested in places where it is legal, such as Las Vegas.

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.

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.

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,

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.

The question is easier to answer than some might think. Some types of prostitution actually are legal in some parts of the US. One can legally visit a brothel in the state of Nevada, where prostitutes are housed, and sold to the men willing to pay the price. In Nevada, the prices are higher than the street market, but that is probably just because the conditions are better right? Wrong, very wrong. Julie Bindel wrote an article about the truth of Nevada brothels, and how prostitutes are actually treated there. She tells harrowing stories of women who are mistreated for acting out of compliance, starved for being considered overweight (2007). Clinical psychologist and renowned Anti-Prostitution activist Melissa Farley concurs, “Once the people of Nevada learn of [prostitutes'] suffering and emotional distress, and their lack of human rights, they, like me, will be persuaded that legal prostitution is an institution that just can't be fixed up or made a little better. It has to be abolished” (2007). There a hundreds of prostitutes being mistreated on daily basis in Nevada. If prostitution was illegal in Nevada, the perpetrators of such heinous crimes would be able to be punished for their inhumanity rather than rewarded with

Lastly, another benefit of legalizing prostitution is having increased tax revenue in the United States. In the Elite Daily, it was reported that in 2007, Atlanta's sex trade was worth $290 million (Haltiwanger). Because sex work is illegal, those who engage in it pay no taxes towards the industry. If sex work was made legal in the United States, those millions of dollars could be funded towards the government, along with the taxes of the workers. Prostitution is a flexible job, where the workers can choose their hours and the prices are usually high. Because of these two factors, and include that sex work was made legal, even more people would become prostitutes. This would lead to even more money to be taxed in order to increase the tax revenue. Also, it was reported that in the years between 2005 and 2011, the average weekly income for pimps came around to $32,833

I believe that prostitution should not be legalized because it gives men power to dehumanize women, it can be dangerous to the prostitute and the one using the prostitute, and it hurts people financially. Prostitution is the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment.

Weitzer explains that legalization of prostitution would require some regulation such as, “vetting and licensing business owners, registering workers, zoning street prostitution, mandatory medical exams, special business taxes, or officials’ periodic site visits and inspections of legal establishments” (22). If prostitution was legalized it could create numerous jobs such as doctors, nurses, and inspectors. It could also raise money by businesses purchasing licenses and paying taxes.

Legalizing prostitution would be beneficial to the government and sex workers by creating tax revenue, bettering medical care, and protecting prostitutes against violence. Prostitution is viewed differently throughout society and holds a lot of negative opinions but no one really discuss’ the benefits of prostitution being legalized throughout America. Many people believe in legalizing Marijuana not knowing its positivity and negativity. When legalizing prostitution you should look at the overall impact and the influence it would have on the government. Legalizing prostitution could generate more tax revenue in the government, protect prostitutes from harm and also lower STD and health risks.

If we legalize prostitution we will be able to better regulate the conditions of prostitutes. Currently, many prostitutes are take by force, beaten, and given drugs in order remain submissive. But an equal if not greater amount of prostitutes willfully go into the business as they see it as a viable option, if not the only viable option, to make a living. The current solution to a public official finding a prostitute, no matter if they are willing or not, is to punish them through arresting and fining them. In some areas police are familiar with the prostitutes, not because they themselves use their services but because they are impounded so frequently before being bailed out by their pimps. If prostitution was legalized prostitutes would be protected by workers rights laws. They would be given a fair pay, possibly enough to get them out of their current situation and quit, and would be better protected from any violence a pimp may normally have to resort to. Furthermore, if it’s legal then more people will decide to join the occupation which will greatly diminish the need to obtain prostitutes with unethical methods. And even if said prostitutes were obtained with unethical methods the regulations against it will cause the people in charge of the kidnapping and not the victims to be punished.

Throughout many generations, a topic has always been around: Prostitution. Should prostitution be legalized? Should we keep our laws against prostitution the same? Many topics go hand in hand with prostitution such as, rape culture, sexual transmitted diseases, and drugs. Negative words like those cause a horrible stigma around the outlawed occupation, causing one to only see the downsides of the job. Through analyzing the benefits of decriminalizing prostitution one can see a reduce in STD rates across America, a decreased rate in drug-related and sex trafficking crimes, and new source of tax to help the country 's debt.