The Legalization of Prostitution - Free Essay Example

Prostitution has been a highly controversial topic for hundreds of years, the majority of those who work in this business being female, while the majority of the patrons are male. Though it has been controversial, it is illegal in most places and has been for a long time. It being illegal is infringing on the privacy of those giving or receiving this service. Prostitution should be treated as if you are getting a haircut. For those who want to make extra money, why shouldnt they be able to do as they wish with their bodies? Many argue that legalizing prostitution would cause sex trafficking to increase, which is untrue. Overall, legalizing it would make for a freer society. Prostitution being legal would make it much safer, decrease sex trafficking, and increase the availability of health care. As it is now, prostitution is very dangerous. Making it legal would take away some of the risk that comes with being in this business. Not only would it allow for the women in brothels to be given more of the money they earn, but allow them protection. For example, in New Zealand, prostitution was made legal in 2003. Following this change, brothels have popped up near many normal bars and hang out spots. According to some of the women who worked before and after this change, police officers are now much more readily available to help the women in the business and ensure they are safe (Glazer 342). This also allows the prostitutes to feel more comfortable reporting abusive clients and pimps, providing protection against physical harm. Not only that, but it would allow it to be a freer business. The women working in the brothels would be able to decline customers for any reason, as well as being able to leave a brothel at their own will. It is very common for prostitutes to avoid or feel unable to get health care, something crucial to people in this business. If it were legalized these women would feel much more comfortable not only seeking medical care, but opening up a dialogue with their doctors about concerns and preventative care. For example, for a short time in the 2000s prostitution was legalized in Rhode Island. There was a 39% drop in female gonorrhea, which was believed to be caused by the power of the prostitutes to insist on condom use. Not only will it allow these women to come forward and feel comfortable getting healthcare, but will make brothels be considered serious, licensed businesses, giving their employees benefits such as health insurance. In the brothels in Nevada, the employees are regularly screened for HIV as well as clients being screened before coming in (Ivie 56). For the way that prostitution is currently regarded in laws, there is a large double standard based on gender. In most states, the prostitute, usually a woman, is considered unneeded and disposable, receiving much harsher punishment than their male clients who receive little to no punishment. In Kentucky, men cannot be convicted of prostitution according to their laws, showing a huge gender bias, making it impossible to punish men for the same act that women do. Not only that, but convicted prostitutes must complete HIV testing, while patrons do not (Cooke and Sontag 474-75). Overall, there is not equal punishment for those who provide the service and those who purchase it. Legalizing prostitution has many benefits. Many people have false deceptions about what would happen if it was legalized. For example, many think that it would increase trafficking, enabling the people who do this. In reality, it would decrease trafficking, shedding light on the topic and forcing the women who are prostitutes to be registered with an official business. Overall, it would be a positive thing to legalize it, allowing for a freer society through less trafficking and more privacy for what women are allowed to do with their bodies, increasing the availability of health care to these women, and allowing for safer interactions in this business. Bibliography Prostitution. Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law (2005): 3. Decriminalizing Prostitution. CQ Researcher (2016): 337-60. Asset Theory and Prostitution: The Implications of U.S. Prostitution Policy and Ideology on Asset Building Strategies. Womens Policy Journal of Harvard (2013): 52-9.