“There are roughly 40 million prostitutes in the world.” (Le Figaro) Prostitution began during the Columbian Exchange when the Americas traded humans, cultural customs, diseases and various things with other countries in the fifteenth century. In today’s society, prostitutes are identified as people who sell themselves and perform sexual intercourse for payment. In most countries such as the United States, prostitution is illegal and has been linked to rising crime rates along with problems such as human trafficking, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases. Women who are uneducated, face addictions, or who are limited in opportunities are more likely to be culturally influenced to enter the prostitution industry from a young age. It’s argued that prostitutes work without protection leaving them vulnerable and subjectable to abuse. Human rights advocates are in favor of legalizing prostitution, and reducing poverty levels; however, not legalizing prostitution reduces crime rates, exploitation, and improves public health. People enter the prostitution industry for a number of reasons such as financial support, drugs, abandonment, and human trafficking. Opponents view the legalization of prostitution as a negative contribution to society. Prostitution correlates to drug use, therefore, increasing crime rates. Prostitutes are motivated to earn money to spend on drugs to fulfill their harmful addictions. Former prostitute Melissa claims she’s “used drugs prior to entering the prostitution industry; however, her habits worsened”.
As a result, many prostitutes suffer the consequences of dysfunctional family relationships which influences the effects of depression. Also, legalizing prostitution will spread sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDs. For example, during the 1980’s it is reported that “ the use of drugs and prostitution or contact with prostitutes among heterosexual syphilis patients increased”. Prostitutes have sexual relations with numerous amounts of people; however, a large number of them fail to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. The increase in drug intake and diseases has a counteractive effect on public health; therefore, eliminating the number of prostitutes having sex helps improve public health. Opponents argue prostitution results in several disadvantages such as sexual harassment and exploitation. The way people view women has drastically changed over time due to the increase in diversity and influence of cultural customs in civilizations. In today’s modern society, women are sexualized in forms of media such as magazines and billboards.
“In prostitution, women are turned into objects men masturbate to resulting in psychological harm”. The prostitution industry often exploits women and objectifies them in turn for sexual pleasure. Taking advantage of prostitutes results in the disassociation of confidence negatively affecting public health. Furthermore, various religions such as Christianity, treat prostitution as taboo and believe it is immorally wrong to sell one’s body and for others to take advantage of it. For instance, religious leaders such as Pope Francis believe “men who use prostitutes are criminals who think women exist to be exploited.”(Samuel Osborne) Opponents argue legalizing prostitution will expand it and fail to protect victims of violence leading to a rise in crime rates linked to human trafficking. The prostitution industry is run like a poorly regulated business because prostitutes are forced into prostitution as victims of human trafficking. Those who enter the prostitution industry claim “sex trafficking and coercion influenced their engagement”. The majority of prostitutes are often raped and suffer from trauma and addictions leading people to believe prostitution should remain abolished.
I understand why opponents believe prostitution should not be legalized and agree that many prostitutes associate themselves with drugs and often undergo the hardships of sexual abuse. I believe that women should not be encouraged to partake in drug abuse and exploitation to provide for themselves. Many countries have their own laws such as New Zealand and Australia who have legalized the profession; however, crime rates and unreported cases of abuse continue to increase. I believe that in the United States, state governments should have the power to decide if prostitution should be legal, letting each community weigh the positives and negatives of the legalization of prostitution for citizens to have control over the issue.
Legalizing prostitution will help benefit society in a multitude of ways such as reducing poverty levels. The majority of people who turn to prostitution are usually young individuals who chose to abandon particular lifestyles and do not qualify for other jobs that can support their needs. For example, former prostitute Bella claims “ I lived in the streets with no way to maintain myself for food and clothes before becoming a prostitute”. Prostitution provides a flexible work schedule and gives women who are limited in opportunities a chance to earn large amounts of money in a short amount of time. If women can earn a fair amount of money, levels of poverty will be reduced; producing cleaner streets. If prostitutes are able to provide for themselves, they won’t have to depend on welfare. As a result, the government can charge prostitutes taxes and increase tax revenues to further benefit society.
In addition, the legalization of prostitution leads to a decrease in crime rates. It is reported that “ the state of Rhode Island saw a 31 percent decline in reported rapes after decriminalizing indoor prostitution.”(Bass, Alison) Many women who are in the business of prostitution claim it is a victimless crime in which they give their clients consent to use them for sex. Because prostitution is currently illegal, prostitutes who encounter situations involving rape do not report scandals. Nevertheless, if prostitution was legal, law enforcement would be able to focus more on other crimes rather than tracking down women who consent to sell their bodies. Human rights advocates also believe people should have the right to choose their chosen profession without prejudice.
Regardless if prostitution is legal, people continue to sell themselves for money, rapidly increasing crime rates all across the United States. Instead of abolishing prostitution, there should be limitations on laws that enforce prostitutes to be licensed and sign official contracts similar to the pornography industry. Prostitutes should not be able to engage in sex with others for money without proper documentation to help reduce crime rates. By legalizing prostitution, victims of abuse will be able to come forward and report cases that allow law enforcement to take action and provide safer working conditions for prostitutes. Also, prostitutes should be treated every couple of months to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. People believe that properly regulating prostitution will ensure the safety and health of the public.
I believe that prostitution should be legalized with restraints placed on prostitutes however, I feel that people should have the choice to enter prostitution upon consent, and should not be criminalized or discriminated against based on their chosen profession. I feel that, if people want to sell themselves for money to make a living they should be able to instead of living off welfare. I believe legalizing prostitution would reduce crime rates and help improve the economy by increasing tax revenues. Nowadays, there are advancements in medical supplies such as condoms, pills, and injections that are used to prevent or decrease the chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. If prostitution was legalized, there would be a drastic decrease in STDs contracted by prostitutes if regulated properly. With licensed prostitutes and a regulated system that increases safety awareness, I think both sides can compromise in order to settle this debate.
