Should Prostitution Be Legalized?

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.

My paper will present the debatable question, should prostitution be legal in Las Vegas? As I argue for the issue, the reader must know that there is a misconceived idea that the city of sins, Las Vegas, is home to legal prostitution. In contrary to popular belief, prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas; there are rural areas in Nevada where brothels are running and prostitution is condoned, but in the county of Clark, it is the opposite. Although it may not be true, legalizing prostitution can bring Las Vegas and the people who work in such a profession multiple benefits. Any person who resides in this city of lights is aware of the busy streets that are filled with prostitution occurring even though the law is against it. Whether it 's the unkempt streetwalker or the high class escort, this seems to be a booming operation.

Within our society laws are created to limit and deter individuals from harming others or themselves. However, crimes such as recreational drug use and prostitution do not harm individuals but in the eyes of the law they are looked down upon due to consequences associated with drug use and promiscuous sex. Additionally, individuals arrested for marijuana usage and even prostitution make up a fair amount of the prison population. As a result of this, there have been several protests calling for the decriminalization and or legalization of these crimes. Though it has been a long battle calling for decriminalization, some countries or even states in the U.S. have worked on fully decriminalizing marijuana and prostitution for important reasons

Women who can legally prostitute themselves will not need government assistance; therefore there will be a decrease of the number of women who need a form of government assistance to survive their everyday lives. As a result of the United States government declaring prostitution illegal, many women get arrested and serve long sentences for their conviction. The United States government spends approximately $45,000 to house an inmate in any state correctional facility or federal penitentiary per year (Hirby, 2013, p.1). The same $45,000 that the government is spending to send a woman that has been convicted of prostitution to prison, could be spent to send that exact female to any private college in any state to further her education. Education is knowledge; knowledge leads to innovation, and innovation leads to a bigger, brighter future.

Prostitution has been around as long as human beings have engaged in sexual activities, and it is even touted as the world’s oldest profession. Despite these proclamations, the subject of prostitution continues to spark controversy in the United States in moderns times as it is a hot debate topic. Off and on, throughout the years, various states around the country have proposed that the practice should be decriminalized; however, it remains illegal nationwide, except for a few counties in Nevada. The reasons for this stem from both sides of the argument, as anti-prostitution advocates claim decriminalization of prostitution is immoral and sexually exploitative, while pro-prostitution advocates want to keep the government out of the bedrooms of consenting adults. No matter the stance for or against prostitution, the current legal construction surrounding it is undeniably harmful. Regardless of the arguments against prostitutes, it is time to decriminalize the laws against this practice to protect the rights of sex workers.

Having prostitution legalized, can be interpreted as giving the impression that selling your body is an appropriate career option, which is, to some, ethically wrong – leading to some negative public opinion (Raymond, 2003).

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 an issue that has been debated in many countries. 22 countries have legalized prostitution. In the United States, prostitution is only legal in 11 rural counties in Nevada. It used to be legal in Rhode Island due to a loophole, but since 2009, it has been illegal. Women are not the only ones who are prostitutes, about 20 to 30% of prostitutes are male, which means both genders are affected by laws against prostitution. Men and women should be allowed to choose how they want to use their bodies how they wish, and that includes prostitution.

Most of us have heard of prostitution and the controversial opinions of people whether it should be legalized or not. The fact is that prostitution has been practiced for many years regardless of its legality. As defined in the dictionary prostitution is the exchange of sex for money. Out of the 50 states in the U.S., Nevada is the only states were prostitution is legal. On the other hand, in some European countries prostitution is not illegal and its safety practice with proper regulations. Therefore legalization should not be the issue; instead regulations should be placed to make the practice of prostitution safer. There are more important aspects of prostitution that need to be addressed; regulations on moral, heath, and crime should be established. These regulations should include laws on health standards for the security of prostitute, morality regulations should address age restrictions abiding with all current state ages of consent, both for those who practice prostitution or the people seeking for a prostitute, more specifically referring to people over the age of eighteen, and crime regulations should address more security were prostitution is practice.

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.

One of the oldest legal debates comes from one of the world's oldest profession, prostitution, there is no denying that the sex industry has taken international dimensions and is recognized as an economic motor for many countries. As countries around the world debate the merits of legalizing or at least decriminalizing prostitution. The following questions should be addressed. Would legalization reduce some of the inequalities and abuse suffered by the women involved? On the other hand, by legitimizing prostitution, would society reverse decades of work to promote human rights and improve the status of women? On the surface, this looks like a rehashing of a timeless debate. However, it is not. The question is no longer about

There are many cases as to why people get into prostitution. One of the most common reasons women decide to become a sex worker is usually to help pay for schooling, or other financial debt. Here in California minimum wage is now about ten dollars an hour which is not nearly enough money to support oneself, let alone pay for college loans. In an AlterNet article Celine Bisette talks about how people let ignorance get the best of them as they assume her being a prostitute is a product of sexual abuse. Celine states,” The reality is that I had a happy childhood that was completely devoid of abuse of any kind. I grew up in a very ordinary middle class family. My parents cooked dinner for me every night, helped me with my homework, and told me they loved me every single day.” When people make judgements about why sex workers are doing what they are doing it puts these workers in an uncomfortable position, making them regretful and embarrassed about a job that they like doing.

Prostitution is the act of engaging in sexual activity for financial gain. It is described as one of the oldest profession and one of the most controversial issues in the modern society. In the ancient world, prostitution was allowed as part of religious traditions in some cultures such as Greek where prostitutes were dedicated to gods. Today prostitution has become more open, and some countries such as Bulgaria and Netherlands have legalized the practice. In the recent past, ethics of prostitution have been debated with many people claiming that it is morally wrong. However, like all other controversial practices, prostitution has continued to thrive in the society as evidenced by recent headlines. In this paper, I will argue that prostitution is not morally permissible despite being around for thousands of years. Prostitution is an immoral transaction that has brought many negative impacts such as community policy issues, health issues, and religious issues.

Prostitution has been a part of our world's culture since the beginning of time, and is the world's oldest profession. Ever since the beginning of time man has felt the need to pay for services of a sexual nature, whether are legal or not. In our culture; however, prostitution has become a topic of debate concerning the merits of this profession's legality. In viewing the legalization of prostitution one must take into account all the pros and cons of the situation, but more importantly what is currently being done to rid society of the problem of prostitution as well as the lack of effect of these so call solutions. One must ask one's self if outlawing prostitution, as a profession is the most effective or worthwhile way to deal with the

Prostitution. Streetwalking. The sex trade. The sex industry. Whoring. Hooking. Et Cetera. The exchange of sexual activities for money. Prostitution is probably one of, if not the oldest taboos in our culture, and for good reason. Often times, prostitution is monitored in places called brothels, meeting places for finding prostitutes and sex in general. This scandalous practice is currently legal in many parts of the world, i.e. Germany, most of South America, Spain, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, here and there in Africa, Mexico and many more. It’s been legalized in many places, but why should a profession like this be outlawed? Well, there are many pros as to why prostitution should be abolished. A) Legalization of prostitution is an invitation to human trafficking and slavery. B) Legalization would attract more customers, promoting affairs and divorce. C) Prostitution is degrading. It turns woman into commodities, thus making them nothing but items to be used. I don’t think it would be a good thing to have more divorced couples, more human slaves and more sexism in America. Do you?