My Arguments for The Legalization of Prostitution

The majority of people around the world believe prostitution should be Treated as a crime. Perhaps you are one of them? In my opinion it should be legal. You may disagree. However, this essay might change your opinion. Granted, most people view prostitution as disgusting, immoral, unladylike… some people also object on religious grounds that it’s a sin. People also object on health grounds. While there is some truth in all of this, I hope to persuade you that legalizing prostitution would benefit society at large as well as individual sex workers. Prostitution has been referred to as the ‘world’s oldest profession’ and its clear why – women have had bodies to barter with for all history. Even if all the countries in the world made prostitution illegal, it would still happen. It’s like drugs, there banned in most countries, but they still get produced. Although I still think drugs should be illegal as it can impact your health and life significantly. Another reason prostitution should be legalized is it would benefit the tax revenue. If sex workers had a job license their income would be taxable and as prostitution can be a well-paid job, with some sex workers earning more than $3,000 a week the government could make a lot of money. Not only would legalizing prostitution make the government money it could also help save some. In countries were prostitution is illegal authorities spend billions of pounds each year trying to prevent It. Therefore, if we legalized prostitution the government could stop wasting money on preventing prostitution and using the money on bigger problems such as making healthcare free in America.

Legalizing prostitution can have a positive impact on the sex workers health. Most sex workers end up with STDs and are unable to seek medical help in case they are detained. Many sex workers are embarrassed to seek help as prostitution is often shamed upon and they may feel judged. Most sex workers in the US are denied treatment. This could be solved, if prostitution became legal sex workers wouldn’t feel scared to get medical help. Services would also have to help sex workers. “A study By Kate Shannon demonstrates that decriminalization of sex work could reduce HIV infections by 33 to 46 percent over the next decade”. This would make a huge difference for sex workers and if countries legalized prostitution the government could set a law that sex workers must get medically checked every so often for HIV and other various diseases. A study from CNN showed that in Nevada ‘Monthly blood testing is required for HIV and syphilis. Sex workers must also require patrons to use condoms’. ‘Since those rules for Nevada brothels went into effect in 1988, the report said, there have been no cases of HIV infection and a negligible rate of STDs”. This proves that if prostitution was legal and there was a law ensuring sex workers had to be medically checked regularly rates of STDs would decrease. If prostitution was legalized not only would sex workers be healthier, they would have employment rights. Every citizen that is employed is entitled to employment rights. However, because sex workers aren’t licensed, they have no employment rights. Some employment rights include the right to a National minimal wage, rest breaks, and protection against discrimination. Some of these rights could help sex workers drastically. This means that if sex workers are harassed, abused, raped etc. the sex worker cannot get help. It also means that if a sex worker gets underpaid the worker can’t do anything about it. Just because the type of work a person does is seen as disgusting doesn’t mean they should have no protection or employment rights.

Another benefit of legalizing prostitution is it would help reduce violence and sex crimes. Many people decide to rape for many reasons. One of these reasons is that they want to satisfy their sexual needs. if prostitution is made legal brothels could be opened. This means it’s likely that rather than raping someone there are other options such as going to a brothel, hiring a prostitute etc. to fulfill their needs. There was also a study that showed when Rhodes Island accidentally made prostitution legal from 1980-2009 “The statewide incidence of gonorrhea among women declined by 39 percent, and the number of rapes reported to police in the state declined by 31 percent, according to the paper”. Prostitution is a victimless crime. Except in cases where they’ve been kidnaped, trafficked or made to against their will. Most prostitutes offer themselves willingly to others. So why should it be illegal? The prostitute has chosen that occupation. I believe that it is persons own choice to decide what job they do, and they shouldn’t be judged or questioned about doing it. Some people have no other choice but to do sex work this can be due to poverty, lack of education, unemployment and other reasons and as prostitution can be a very high paying job sometimes sex work seems the only way forward. It can also be argued that when you film prostitution and publish it on the internet (porn) it is seen and natural and totally legal, so why when sex workers do prostitution privately it becomes illegal and shamed upon? Poverty is one of the biggest reasons why many people chose to go into sex work. This is because it can be hard to get out of, especially if they have a family to provide for. Most people would do anything to provide for their family even if that means giving up their body. There is also a view that everyone is different many citizens would never, ever become a sex worker and some citizens don’t really think it’s a bad thing. Some people think that sex should be kept for marriage where as others see it as a thing for anytime. What I’m trying to say is that no one should be judged just for their actions (excluding rapists, murders etc.).

In conclusion, the aim of this essay was to persuade you that prostitution should be legalized. As you have read prostitution isn’t as negative as perceived. Whilst legalization has its pros and cons its crucial to weigh them up.

Works Cited

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10. Weitzer, R. (2009). Sociology of sex work. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 213-234.