Why Prostitution Should Be Legalized In The United States
Here are some of the many reasons why prostitution should be legalized in the United States. Some are silly and some are right on. Either way they all add up to an obvious conclusion.
1. The United States is supposed to be a "free" country. In what really free country would 2 adults not be allowed to consensually trade sex for money? One person's freedom should only end where another's begins. There should not be laws against the actions of consenting adults in a truly free country. To me this is a simple case of civil liberties.
2. Many male/female relationships are basically prostitution anyway. The trophy wives of the very rich for instance; What are they if not prostitutes?
3. Pornography. Why is it OK to pay someone to have sex if you videotape it but not OK if you don't. My advice to those that wish to acquire the services of a prostitute: Bring your video camera.
4. The laws against prostitution cause many more problems than prostitution itself. This is similar to the situation with the criminalization of drugs. Prostitution itself doesn't really cause many problems in the United States, it's the fact that it's illegal that causes the problems:
A. Prostitutes are regularly physically assaulted and raped yet rarely contact the police about these matters. They rarely contact the police precisely because prostitution is illegal. The illegality of prostitution is a direct cause of the much greater crimes of rape and physical abuse. If prostitution were legal people would most likely be much more careful with how they treat them. 60% of the abuse against prostitutes is from their clients. They know they can get away with it because the prostitutes won't say anything. 20% of the abuse against prostitutes is from police officers. If that last stat doesn't tell you something is wrong with the current system, then I don't know what will.
B. The arrests involving prostitution are by and large of prostitutes and not the clients. People often say that laws against prostitution are there to protect the prostitutes, but clearly the numbers don't reflect that at all. Prostitutes would be much more safe if their profession were legalized.
C. Over 80% of the arrested prostitutes are so called "street walkers" despite the fact that this lowest class of prostitutes only constitutes 20% of the prostitution work force. Clearly the way the law is being enforced disenfranchises those that are already disenfranchised.
5. Many people would point to STDs for being a reason why prostitution should be illegal but in fact only 3 to 5% STD infection are prostitution related compared to 30 to 35% which are teen related.
6. The money spent on "vice" law enforcement could be much better spent elsewhere. Some ideas: health care, education, or perhaps for police to stop real crime like murder, rape, & theft.
7. Prostitution is the "World's Oldest Profession" and it's not going anywhere ever. All attempts at eradicating it have been a complete waste of time & money and have caused much more problems than prostitution itself.
8. House prostitutes are happy. 97% of house prostitutes (like those that work at the legal brothels in Nevada) say they feel better about themselves than before they became a prostitute. Those that argue for laws against prostitution often claim that all prostitutes have low self esteem but this statistic clearly disputes that claim. It's the prostitutes who are forced to the streets and treated like criminals that feel badly about themselves. Again it's the laws that cause the problem.
Where is prostitution currently legal in the US?
Prostitution is currently legal only in the state of Nevada but even then it's not legal throughout the state. In fact it is not legal in any of the major cities in Nevada (including Las Vegas.) The law states that only counties with a population below 400,000 may have the ability to license brothels.
There are currently about 30 brothels operating legally in Nevada.
1. The United States is supposed to be a "free" country. In what really free country would 2 adults not be allowed to consensually trade sex for money? One person's freedom should only end where another's begins. There should not be laws against the actions of consenting adults in a truly free country. To me this is a simple case of civil liberties.
2. Many male/female relationships are basically prostitution anyway. The trophy wives of the very rich for instance; What are they if not prostitutes?
3. Pornography. Why is it OK to pay someone to have sex if you videotape it but not OK if you don't. My advice to those that wish to acquire the services of a prostitute: Bring your video camera.
4. The laws against prostitution cause many more problems than prostitution itself. This is similar to the situation with the criminalization of drugs. Prostitution itself doesn't really cause many problems in the United States, it's the fact that it's illegal that causes the problems:
A. Prostitutes are regularly physically assaulted and raped yet rarely contact the police about these matters. They rarely contact the police precisely because prostitution is illegal. The illegality of prostitution is a direct cause of the much greater crimes of rape and physical abuse. If prostitution were legal people would most likely be much more careful with how they treat them. 60% of the abuse against prostitutes is from their clients. They know they can get away with it because the prostitutes won't say anything. 20% of the abuse against prostitutes is from police officers. If that last stat doesn't tell you something is wrong with the current system, then I don't know what will.
B. The arrests involving prostitution are by and large of prostitutes and not the clients. People often say that laws against prostitution are there to protect the prostitutes, but clearly the numbers don't reflect that at all. Prostitutes would be much more safe if their profession were legalized.
C. Over 80% of the arrested prostitutes are so called "street walkers" despite the fact that this lowest class of prostitutes only constitutes 20% of the prostitution work force. Clearly the way the law is being enforced disenfranchises those that are already disenfranchised.
5. Many people would point to STDs for being a reason why prostitution should be illegal but in fact only 3 to 5% STD infection are prostitution related compared to 30 to 35% which are teen related.
6. The money spent on "vice" law enforcement could be much better spent elsewhere. Some ideas: health care, education, or perhaps for police to stop real crime like murder, rape, & theft.
7. Prostitution is the "World's Oldest Profession" and it's not going anywhere ever. All attempts at eradicating it have been a complete waste of time & money and have caused much more problems than prostitution itself.
8. House prostitutes are happy. 97% of house prostitutes (like those that work at the legal brothels in Nevada) say they feel better about themselves than before they became a prostitute. Those that argue for laws against prostitution often claim that all prostitutes have low self esteem but this statistic clearly disputes that claim. It's the prostitutes who are forced to the streets and treated like criminals that feel badly about themselves. Again it's the laws that cause the problem.
Where is prostitution currently legal in the US?
Prostitution is currently legal only in the state of Nevada but even then it's not legal throughout the state. In fact it is not legal in any of the major cities in Nevada (including Las Vegas.) The law states that only counties with a population below 400,000 may have the ability to license brothels.
There are currently about 30 brothels operating legally in Nevada.
