Prostitution Should Be Legal Essay, Research Paper
Prostitution Should be Legal
Referred to as the ?oldest profession?, prostitution ?. . . has long been a problem which
has provoked and disturbed Americans? (Kinsie 3). ?Prostitution [is] the performance of sexual
acts, solely for the purpose of material gain? (James [NA]). Prostitution remains, excepted and
considered normal in some cultures. No gender specifics exist for prostitutes , but female
prostitutes comprise the majority of prostitutes. A person male and married characterizing the
majority of prostitutes clients, commonly referred to as a ?John?. Surprisingly, but true, US
prostitutes work legally in some areas. ?Prostitution is currently illegal in all 50 states? (Flowers
8), with the exception of 12 rural counties in Nevada. A variety of different types of prostitutes
exist: streetwalkers, call girls, massage parlor/brothel/in house prostitutes, madams, indentured
sex slaves, escort service prostitutes, professional dominatrics, homeless, drug addicted and part
time prostitutes (Flowers 18, 19). In 1995, approximately 95,000 arrests were made (70%
female prostitutes, 20% male prostitutes and 10% customers), mostly streetwalkers; a
misdemeanor typically resulting in a fine, occasionally a 30-day jail term. More importantly than
numbers, what motivates one to choose a career of prostitution? Perhaps persuasion, coercion,
abuse, addiction or poor conditions/lifestyle and the financial lure. Legalizing prostitution ensures
regulation and taxation, allowing the police to deal with more violent crimes and reduce the abuse
of prostitutes by ?Pimps?.
There remain many reasons why one may favor the illegal status of prostitution. Some
see the ?profession? as exploitive to women, a ?. . . form of sexual slavery? (Abraham 1).
Feminists claim that prostitution reinforces the status that women represent objects, undoing the
prevails of women in the past. Yet still, many believe in neo-Victorism, a condescending belief
that prostitutes are unaware of their action and need someone with more education to protect
them (Abraham 1). Much of the public describes the profession of prostitution as dirty,
immoral and degrading. For many, prostitution results in a destructive, abusive ?career? in which
Pimps, those who ?own? and distribute prostitutes for the benefit of financial gain, and Johns
abuse and violate women. Prostitution also greatly affects the community and the public.
Those who use prostitutes for their pleasure risk the contraction of diseases, thus spreading with
each new sexual partner, endangering the lives of many.
Although valid reasons justify why one would want to keep prostitution with an illegal
status, the benefits far out way the negative aspects of prostitution. Legalizing the profession
increases the quality of lives for those who partake in prostitution as a career and those who ?use?
the business they offer. Legalization of prostitution allows regulation, requiring medical
examination of prostitutes on a regular basis, helping to reduce the transfer of STDs and
communicable diseases. According to the US Department of Health, 3% to 5% of STDs in the
United States are linked to prostitutes (Prostitution in the US . . . [NA]). These relatively small
numbers results in a ?domino effect?. If someone contracts a disease during an interlude with a
prostitute, each sexual partner thereafter carries the potential risk of ?contamination?. In
addition, the health of prostitutes most likely increases. Early detection and treatment of STDs,
diseases or illnesses, and drug addiction constitute likely results of prostitution legalization.
These actions increase the likelihood of prostitutes? good health, resulting in a safer environment
for their clients as well. Exploitation from pimps eliminates with the legalization of prostitution.
Pimps usually take a large portion of the prostitutes profit, up to 50% and sometimes more. This
exploitation includes abuse, both physical and mental, often leading to murder. A legal status of
prostitution allows prostitutes to work for themselves, or
as a licensed brothel.
Legalization allows for taxation of prostitution wages, like any other employment.
Taxation of prostitution results in increased taxes collected by cities, counties and states. By
taxation, prostitutes enjoy the benefits of unemployment insurance, disability insurance and social
security, thus ensuring prostitutes the choice of continuing or discontinuing their career in
prostitution. Cities, counties and states profit by taxation and legalizing prostitution results in a
reduction of criminal prosecution costs. ?Average arrest, court [and] incarceration costs amount
to nearly $2000 per arrest. Cities spend an average of $7.5 million on prostitution control every
year. Ranging from $1 million (Memphis) to $23 million (New York)? (Prostitution in the US .
. . [NA]). This extra money and time provides police more time to deal with and prosecute
violent crimes. The elimination of the prosecution of prostitutes saves time and money for the
justice system as well as freeing the courts to prosecute of crimes/criminals. Once police officers
and prostitutes join ?the same side?, the creation of a safer environment for prostitutes results.
Prostitutes recieve the rights of every other citizen, allowing them to ill behavior without the
threat of being arrested. Legalization of prostitution eliminates one of the violent aspects of
prostitution, the pimp. With the elimination of the Pimp, the prostitute looses the need for
exorbitant charges of his/her services.
The benefits of legalizing prostitution outweigh the reasons for keeping it a criminal
activity. Many lives improve as a result, creating a better working environment for
prostitutes and clients, provide taxes and save cities, counties, and states money and the
elimination of exploitation by ?pimps?, comprise a few of the benefits The practice of
prostitution, morally and ethically wrong to many people, remains a choice made by two
consenting adults. Keeping prostitution illegal results in few benefits and prostitution continues to
thrive with all the negative aspects. Making prostitution legal increases the probability of ?safe?
prostitution. Why continue to fight a losing battle that costs people in many ways.
Abraham, Yvonne and Sarah McNaught. ?Prostitution 101?. 27 Oct – 30 Oct 1997. The Boston
Phoenix. 29 Nov. 1999..
Flowers, R. Barri. ?Defining Prostitutes and Prostitution?. The Prostitution of Women and
Girls. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1998
James, Jennifer. ?Prostitution?. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 : CD-ROM. 1993-1999
Microsoft Corp.
Kinsie, Paul and Charles Winick. ?Views of Prostitution?. The Lively Commerce – Prostitution
in the United States. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, Inc., 1971
?Prostitution in the United States – The Statistics?. 1980-present. Prostitutes Education
Network. 23 Nov. 1999. .
Works Consulted
Abraham, Yvonne and Sarah McNaught. ?Prostitution 101?. 27 Oct – 30 Oct 1997. The Boston
Phoenix. 29 Nov. 1999..
Bastow, Karen. ?Prostitution and HIV/AIDS?. HIV/AIDS Policy and Law Newsletter. 1995
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. 23 Nov. 1999. .
Barry, Kathleen. ?Unmasking Social Oppression?. Female Sexual Slavery. New York: New
York University Press, 1979.
Flowers, R. Barri. ?Defining Prostitutes and Prostitution?. The Prostitution of Women and
Girls. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1998
James, Jennifer. ?Prostitution?. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 : CD-ROM. 1993-1999
Microsoft Corp.
Kinsie, Paul and Charles Whick. ?Views of Prostitution?. The Lively Commerce – Prostitution in
the United States. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, Inc., 1971.
?Legalized Prostitution?. 30 Nov 1999.
?Prostitution in the United States – The Statistics?. 1980-present. Prostitutes Education
Network. 23 Nov. 1999. .
Sheehy, Gail. ?The New Breed?. Hustling – Prostitution in Our Wide Open Society. New York:
Delecorte Press, 1971, 1972, 1973.