The Problem with Selling Sex Essay

Prostitution flourishes in territories that have a high crime rate, along these lines, cops and courts are overburdened with these cases, having next to zero effect on prostitution. The sex workers and their clients pay their fines and are back to the boulevards right away in a rotating door process. Law enforcement is occupied with adding prostitution to the rundown of things to shield us from, the genuine violations go unchecked and unchallenged. Not with standing if prostitution were legitimate, police would have less work attempting to dispose of prostitution and additional time shielding people from far more heinous crimes. "It is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year. The analysis seems to support that the rape rate could be lowered if prostitution was more readily available. This would be accomplished in most countries by its legalization (Sexual Violence Such as Rape)."

Prostitutes solicit their bodies and sex to ‘johns,’ the common name for men who take pleasure in the company of prostitutes. Johns are textually defined as men not only willing, but wanting to engage in sexual activities with prostitutes in exchange for money. The johns are willing to pay various amounts of money in order to receive sexual pleasure and entertainment in different forms. They often engage in these activities with them without regard to their own health or

Those opposing the legalization of prostitution believe that there are several reasons why the United States should not legalize the buying and selling of sexual acts. If prostitution were legal, sex trafficking in the United States would surge (Bruckert and Hannem 47). In order to avoid being taxed, entrepreneurs would simply kidnap girls and sell them into an underground trafficking system, making a business of their own (Perer 829). Children and teens would be abducted, forced to take drugs, and forced to prostitute themselves for the profit of their kidnapper (Bruckert and Hannem 47; Perer 829). Sex trafficking would be used to avoid the use of sexual protection. Johns will pay more for a girl who does not make them use a condom, and this alone could spark a new interest for sex trafficking (Perer 830). Sex trafficking is a horrible industry that most abducted girls never make it out of, and legalizing prostitution will only make it worse (Wagenaar and Altink 280).

Policies and laws fail to stop prostitution, and it will not stop. It is more costly to keep prostitution illegal. Prostitutes will be more vulnerable to getting criminal records, which then makes it harder for them in society, to obtain legal jobs. Also, with prostitution being illegal the workers may not be able to protect themselves from crimes against them. As prostitution is not legal, then they have to find discreet places to work, which usually is not in a safe environment. If some kind of crime against them did happen, they may feel that, they aren’t able to go to the police for help, as their work is illegal. It actually makes it harder on the worker, in turn making it harder for the client. There are all sorts of people who turn to prostitutes. From blue collar workers to high executives of companies, business owners and more. With prostitution being illegal, the clients are facing criminal charges as well. This does not only hurt the client, but communities as well. The author believes that people around the world have changed their older views and sexual norms to adapt to a more modern society. Brents, B.A., Jackson, C.A., & Hausbeck, K. (2010) concludes that prostitution is better being legalized than being criminalized (p.233). And with this change, people should reevaluate and learn from Nevada’s policies on prostitution being legal. While the author has shown many reasons why

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

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,

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

(Jacobin, 2013). Prostitution is then commonly labelled amongst the low-lifes of society, such as alcoholics and thieves. It is ironic that prostitution, an act of consent from both parties involved, are categorized with those who actually harm and steal from others. Criminalizing sex workers in the United States was implemented at the same time there was the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s (Grant, 2013). Both industries faced legal battles and underground operations to continue to boom today, but unlike alcohol, prostitution was never legalized. The laws for prostitution has hardly changed since then, and these outdated laws reflect an impermeable pattern of controlling what a woman can do with her body, despite changing times that are supposed to promote acceptance of liberal sexuality. How people view prostitution as a crime (but not

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

First, some argue saying that the government should not be able to make laws against women and their uses of their bodies. For example, a debate was started online on Debate.org, arguing the legalization of prostitution. One man by the name of Nine Nathaniel 43, stated, “Prostitution should be legalized, so that willing women could make money. We waste money prosecuting men and women that are engaging in consensual sexual activity. They are not harming anyone. I also feel it would be safer for prostitutes. If prostitution were legal, then there wouldn't be a need for pimps, because women could market themselves, without fear of repercussions.” For this reason, I believe that prostitution would be much more dangerous for women involved in it. If pimps or traffickers were to realize that they no longer could earn money from a woman because she can go market herself, they will do their best to make sure she stays with him, involving more aggression and control from the trafficker. Along with this, some people make the statement that if prostitution were to be legalized in the United States, then rape and other crimes involving sex would decrease. For example, Kirby R. Cundiff, clearly stated that,” It is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United

Though it is expected that the expansion of the sex industry would be controlled by legislation, it actually does the opposite. “Legislation leads to massive expansion” (Sullivan & Jeffreys, 2001). For example in Victoria, Australia, from when it first legalized brothels 1984 until 2004, “sexual service providers” increased from 40 to 184, not counting the growth of illegal prostitution, which was estimated to be four to five times the size of the legal sector (Sullivan, 2005). Also, the demand for sex services grows rapidly after legalization. Many men who before legalization wouldn’t risk buying women, see it now as acceptable; as prostitution becomes legal, treating women as merchandise also becomes ethical and socially acceptable. There is also an impact on the future generations of men and boys; they will now receive the message that prostitution is harmless and fun. Businessmen are now encouraged to carry out meetings in clubs where they provide naked women laying on the center of the table (Raymond, 2003).

Legalizing prostitution would likely decrease AIDS, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Certain conditions would be encouraged to make the profession more comfortable and safer for most prostitutes. “‘The commission of global leaders and specialists, backed by the United Nations Development Program and Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, spent 18 months discussing sex work, drug use and laws criminalizing HIV status. Its report concluded that laws against prostitution should be repealed because they fail to protect women and instead drive at-risk people away from health care services. ‘Rather than punishing consenting adults involved in sex work, countries must ensure safe working conditions, and offer sex workers and their clients access to effective HIV and health services and commodities,’ said the commission’s report. It added that laws against all forms of child abuse and human sex trafficking still should be enforced (Wetzstein)”. Countries, or states will assist in the safety of prostitutes and sex

Sex work is not only a job, but a way to explore and express inner desires. Not all women are forced into sex work and do choose it as a career, which is also beneficial to that work field because more employees willing to work in sex trade means an increased tax revenue. Even the regulation of sex work could lead to less violent crimes made against prostitutes and safer worker environments. These safer worker environments include safe sex, which also leads to the improvement of public health since the prostitutes would be regularly tested. The brothels in Nevada that allow legal sex work to be performed at are models to how prostitution could be regulated on a daily basis. They are the future businesses in the modern day, and feminists are moving towards that goal. With the clean way of doing sex trade, prostitution could be made legal with benefits to the United States, and should be made

When “New Zealand implemented full decriminalization… the number of sex workers stayed flat…[and] condom use among sex workers rose above 99 percent” (Bazelon, 2016). This legalization model disproves many concerns the opposition may have. It gives credibility to Bazelon’s argument by showing that the position presented is a viable, positive option in the audience’s society. The statistics given appeal to the audience’s logic, further strengthening Bazelon’s argument by continuing an evidence rich string of support for the author’s main claim. Statistics are not the only evidence Bazelon uses to show positive real world scenarios. The author also uses testimonies from sex workers in recently decriminalized areas, such as Annah Pickering, who remembers how “ [she] used to wave down police for help, and they’d keep driving, but now they take sex worker’s complaints seriously…one client negotiated with a street worker; she did the act and he refused to pay. She waved a cop down, and he told the client he had to pay and took him to the A.T.M to get the money” (Bazelon, 2016). Comparing this testimony to those given by sex workers in criminalized prostitution areas, demonstrates examples of reductions in stigma and a positive relationship forming between prostitutes and police.