The Pros And Cons Of Prostitution

Prostitution is, and has always been a topic of debate and great controversy in society. The definition and practice of prostitution has changed over time, as a result of social, moral and political influences. Sociologist Ronald Weitzer defines prostitution as, “The exchange of sexual services for material compensations” (Weitzer 2012, P: 3). Generally sex work takes place in many different places, which can include streets, parks, washrooms, brothels, hotels or private homes (Frontline Consulting, 2009 P: 5). That being said it is currently too difficult for the government to control or totally abolish prostitution. The topic of prostitution has always created room for controversy due to ethical, religious and traditional beliefs. As a result, women have become constant victims of public criticism and attack.

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

By keeping prostitution illegal, it keeps the doors open for a victimless crime to have many victims. Many prostitutes are people looking for a way to get out of a certain situation they are in, but do not have the skill set for what society considers a better quality job. These people then turn to prostitution in hopes of making money, earning a living and getting an education (Reynolds, 13). Prostitutes could become victims of their own career choice. Prostitutes who are beaten or abused by clients are often scared to report the crime to the police in fear they will be charged with a crime instead. As Reynolds points out, there are no real laws

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 1. Women are not the only ones who are prostitutes, about 20 to 30% of prostitutes are male 2, 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

To better discuss the legalization of prostitution there’s a need to know its definition. Legalization of prostitution is where prostitution becomes controlled by the government and becomes legal under specific conditions. Legalization may include prostitution-specific controls chosen by the state, which could include licensing, registration, and mandatory regular health checks ups. Prostitution has been legalized in Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Senegal, Nevada in the USA, and many Australian states (Mossman, 2007).

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.

Prostitution being illegal causes a rapid increase in rape and assault which causes trauma and domestic violence issues. Legalizing prostitution would help make the sex workers feel safer and more secure. Studies show legalizing sex work in America would decrease rape and assault roughly about 25%. Sex workers in licensed brothels can have someone to back up the violence if it was to occur. (Kirby

When many people hear the term prostitution they automatically have a negative thought in their heads. They see the violence, the drugs, and the manipulative things that are said and done to these people, all due to their pimps. What people fail to realize is there is a fine line between human trafficking and prostitution, many people get these two confused. Human trafficking is a different level of prostitution defined as the action of illegally transporting people from one area to another for sexual exploitation. Technically the definition of prostitution is the act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse for money. Nowhere in this definition did it involve it being forced by another

In terms of sociology, Prostitution is a way for an individual to maximize their monetary intake or in other words “benefits” by selling the thing that they have readily, their bodies. In other words, it is the act or practice of participating in promiscuous sexual activity especially for money. Prostitution has been in existence for ages, going back to the Byzantine, Roman, Greek, and Egyptian Empires. Ironically, the ancient religions of those eras dealt with the needs of the group and consequently developed protocols for dealing with sexual relations that have propagated throughout time to the modern era. As a result, prostitution is not about to disappear anytime soon, despite relatively recent local laws. Also throughout centuries,