One argument against legalizing prostitution is that it would cause an increase in sexually transmitted diseases. This is actually false if the proper standards are taken. Should prostitution …show more content…
be legalized, there would be regulations in place to make sure all prostitutes are clean and free of any diseases. According to STD Advisor Richard Steen, legalizing prostitution would actually cause a decrease in disease spread. "In Kenya, where the importance of chancroid in HIV transmission was first described in the late 1980s, interventions targeting sex workers and STD patients were implemented. Reported condom use by sex workers has since increased to over 80% in project areas and the incidence of genital ulcers has declined." (Steen, 2001) If prostitution were to be legalized, the government could quickly put standards in place to ensure that all registered sex workers are not disease ridden, and the ones that are will not be allowed to practice their service.
Another argument against the legalization of prostitution is that it 's morally incorrect.
But who determines what our morals are but us? The Constitution of the United States was formed off the basis of a multitude of freedoms guaranteed to all of its citizens. Is a woman selling her sexual services any different than, say, a carpenter selling his carpentry services? The act of sex in of itself certainly isn 't illegal, so why should selling sexual services be? As long as it 's consensual and within legal regulations, it shouldn 't …show more content…
be.
While the weak negatives of prohibiting legal prostitution are glorified, there are quite a few benefits to legalizing prostitution that many don 't know about. One of the many social factors directly or indirectly related to prostitution is crime. According to data assembled by Mark Liberator via nationmaster.com that compares the United States to eight other nations with high crime rates, the United States is second among this dreaded group of nations in murder per capita to Mexico. The U.S. is also second in rape per capita to Canada. We have .05 and .32 murders and rapes per capita, respectively. The U.S. is first, however, by a wide margin in both adults prosecuted and prisoners per capita, at 50.6 and 6.4. The Netherlands, however, is an interesting case. Despite being internationally known as a nation riddled with crime, the Netherlands is actually dead last among this list in murders and rapes per capita at .01 and .1, respectively. So what does all of this have to do with prostitution? As said by Liberator, "the countries having legal prostitution enjoy many benefits the United States does not. Crime is higher within the U.S., despite severe laws, intense prosecution rates and a high number of imprisonments." Simply put, the countries with legalized prostitution actually have the lowest crime rates, while the U.S., the only country that has mostly illegalized prostitution, actually has higher crime rates than most.
Prostitution can also benefit a local economy.
There are three different classes of prostitutes. "There are three strata of prostitutes. Within the top layer rests discrete call-girls for the affluent...The middle layer holds bordello-dwelling prostitutes or others in less subtle environments such as strip clubs and massage parlors that offer backroom services. Streetwalkers (harlots, hookers, nightwalkers, ...) occupy the lowest layer." (...)Prostitutes among the top two classes are in good financial condition. Most of them make more money than women who work the common and more suggested jobs. While the lowest layer prostitutes usually don 't live the best of lives, the same holds true for most career fields where the bottom of the barrel don 't have the same living standards as the top class of their profession. So if so many prostitutes are earning such good income, relatively speaking, why should it be illegal? Why it is legal for companies to pay people to accomplish physical tasks, like in factories, construction, or warehousing among others but yet a prostitute providing service to a client isn 't legal? In addition to the money made by the increase of prostitution due to its legalization, the government can place taxes on the brothels to generate even more revenue. In the grand scheme of things, legalizing prostitution would cause a positive spike in the economic flow of money throughout a specific area. Prostitutes earning their high incomes legally can invest
their money, purchase houses, and make other financial commitments without fear of prosecution.
Some don 't realize just how important prostitution can be in our society. Prostitution allows sexually starved men and women to go out and address their needs. Prostitution can provide good career choices to those who wish to seek a job providing sexual services. Additional data from nationmaster.com confirms that the U.S. is among the highest, if not the highest, in the world in suicide and divorce rates per capita. Along with that, it is worth noting that countries with legalized prostitution, like for example Denmark, Singapore, and the aforementioned Netherlands are among the lowest in suicide and divorce rates. The needs and desires fulfilled via prostitution ensure that men and women don 't have to live lives of emotional pain and sorrow.
Prostitution is one of the oldest and most prestigious professions in the history of the world. Not only that, but it is also a very providing and influential career. Nothing a prostitute engages in should be deemed illegal in the slightest and to say prostitutes can 't fend for themselves is untrue. Because prostitutes can have such a positive impact on their society, there is no reason the U.S. government should continue to legislate the illegalization of prostitution in 48 of our states.
WORKS CITED
Steen, Richard. (2001) Eradicating chancroid. Bulletin World Health Organization. 79(9): 818-826.
David, Severine. (n.d.) The Specifities of Female Drug Addiction. 13 November 2006
Nation Master 14 November 2006
Mechelen, R. (1992) Prostitution. 14 November 2006
Liberator, Mark. 13 November 2006