Should Prostitution Be Legalized?

Prostitution should be legalized because it could be regulated by the government. Legalization can reduce the risk of STD’s (Devdariani). By regulating prostitution, prostitutes can be required to get tested and can also make sure that they aren’t working while infected. There are multiple cases where this has worked. In Amsterdam, where prostitution is legal, there are health services that specialize in informing prostitutes about a free or low-cost clinic for STD’s (Amsterdam Prostitution). This is just one example of how legalizing prostitution can help regulate the spread of STD’s

Prostitution is a controversial issue that has been around since the beginning of time and has recently became a major problem in today’s society. Prostitution is defined as the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. Prostitution is often times referred to as “the oldest profession in the business”. It is prohibited in several countries, the United States included, though in some countries it is accepted and is legal in many others. Today, prostitution is so controversial because of the number of youth involved in it. Those who oppose prostitution are against it because it endangers a big portion of women with diseases and can also be considered as a form of slavery. Due to the fact that prostitution increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, while also destroying the image of areas it has heavily polluted, along with the morality of the women involved in it, it is seen as a practice that needs to be done away with, or mandated by the government.

To assume that it can be removed from society is harmful and a waste of our resources. Offering a safe environment for prostitution makes the most sense by allowing the “profession” to continue legally minimizing the dangers that are currently attached. Knowing that legalization offers prostitutes equal access to health care, protection by law enforcement, and decreased risks of human sex trafficking make the argument of legalization clear. As humans we should all want to help make life better for each other regardless of our choice of profession. We can do this by making prostitution legal in

One of the problems with prostitution is the spread of STDs, or sexually transmitted diseases. Due to prostitutes having sex

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

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.

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.

People may not believe that there is a positive outcome of prostitution when first thought of. In fact, there are multiple ways that prostitution can benefit the sex workers, society, and even the economy. A quantitative and qualitative study was made by Lutnik and Cohan in San Francisco on prostitutes in the area. Although the sex workers that were interviewed are not part of the Canadian society, the United States is also part of the Western Civilization and the results reflect those of Canada as well. In the study, women spoke about the beneficial factors of having “police protection, the ability to build community with other sex worker, and obtaining rights as workers” upon the legalization of prostitution (Lutnik and Cohan, 2009: 41). Overall, the prostitutes that were surveyed preferred the “removal of statutes that criminalize sex work in order to facilitate a social and political environment where they had legal rights and could seek help when they are victims of violence.” (Lutnik and Cohan, 2009: 39). This research provides evidence that majority of people in the sex worker industry would like to feel safer as they are working as every person is entitles to feel safe when they go to work. Considering the health of the sex workers, a study was presented at the International AIDS Conference in Australia which showed results of the transmittal of HIV/AIDS among sex workers would decrease by 33-46% if prostitution is either legalized, or at least decriminalized (Listland, 2014). Another factor that is considered regarding sex workers and the legalization is the diminishing of violence and sex crimes. In the same research study conducted by Lutnik and Cohan, it was found that 91% of prostitutes desired laws that protected their rights in specific, and they also wanted more police protection, create safe houses, and would be safest under a regulated system (Lutnik and Cohan, 2009: 41, 43). Lastly, a

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,

In recent articles and news reports in the United States, many people are debating if Prostitution should be legalized or remain illegal. A lot of women are driven to prostitution to support their family or to satisfy their sex drive. There are a lot of comments made about prostitution on whether prostitution is considered a job or an sex offense to women. Many people don’t agree with Prostitution being considered a job because it is disrespectful to women, or some people see it as a way of support especially when they are the only family provider. But some people don’t understand that if Prostitution is Legalized that gives the sex industry a gateway to expand. In addition The United States Government should not legalize prostitution because

To start off, although many people are aware that Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections are real most of them forget about the protection needed against any. The women and men involved in prostitution do not get to worry about that kind of protection. The health risks involved are brutal and dangerous. “Sex-work communities around the world are in dire need of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services” (Doyle 1). It is not unheard of that, the current prostitution rings do not care about these diseases, in fact “a meeting of sex workers held at the International AIDS Conference heard that the criminalization of the profession was fueling secretive transactions and unsafe sex practices, putting people at risk of HIV and

Opponents of legalization, contend that that prostitution is “a degrading and abusive practice that fosters crime, exposes prostitute to violence, and increases the spread of sexually transmitted diseases” (“Prostitution”). Some maintain that prostitution is not a victimless crime, and it damages women emotionally and physically; for example, street prostitutes experience high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder that are comparable to those among rape survivors, battered women, and survivors of torture, and have high rates of anxiety and depression. They also claim that there is no evidence to support the claim that legalizing prostitution would reduce the prevalence of assault; some analysts even claim that prostitution may foster attitudes that contribute to violence against women (“Prostitution”). The Coalition against Trafficking in Women claims that “prostitution affects all women, justifies the sale of any woman, and reduce all women to sex”,

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.