Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Prostitution : Made Legal


Prostitution should be made legal.
Why, you may ask
Why not?

What good is it being illegal?
It is illegal and it still thrives.
There are 40 million prostitutes at work.
1 in 10 men have revealed to have purchased a prostitute.
22 countries have legalized and many of those countries are a tad better off than we are. ( US ) 
I see prostitution being illegal as a way of someone telling me what I can and cannot do with my own BODY.

If I choose to exploit my body  and receive payment, so be it! 

If prostitution was made legal I would not become a prostitute, my morals will not change and I feel like the same would go for many individuals. 

If prostitution was made legal

The government could REGULATE it.
With government involvement perhaps the transfer of STD's wont be as prominent in regards to prostitution.  
Such business acts could be done in a much safer environment and the government could tax it and obtain some type of revenue.  

In Greece prostitution is legal and prostitutes must have health check ups every 2 weeks.
In Iceland prostitution is legal if no 3rd party benefits. 
In Costa Rica prostitution is legal if the prostitute is at least 18 and has health benefits.

The government could also provide and enforce mental health expertise/counseling for women and men of the career allowing them to be aware of issues and the opportunity to find other means of employment if desired.


Prostitution is not something many choose to do with happiness, it is most often a result of lack of money and coercion( human trafficking ) 
Hopefully by not making prostitution such an underground business many women/men will also be helped out  of it easier. 
By opening it up we can see its skeleton and examine the nuts and bolts and perhaps improve the business for the benefit of everyone.

If it is legalized is has to be done RIGHT. Great care and planning must take place to ensure safety in terms of violence and abuse, health ,and fair treatment.
It can not be something done haphazardly and with no concern, but nonetheless it needs to be done.


I view prostitution very similar to cigarettes and alcohol. 
They ultimately serve no purpose or benefit  to man-kind ( aside from monetary gain )  and honestly just seek to harm. If those can be legal why can't my own body be too?






6 comments:

  1. You're annoying. Stahp.

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  2. There are many valid reasons as to why prostitution is illegal. It's so that there are at least some consequences for those who are accused of human trafficking, adult slavery, etc. Not to mention the huge risk of STD transfer, numerous unwarranted pregnancies, cash that doesn't benefit the economy, a general increase in prostitution business.

    This argument is similar to the legalization of marijuana as well. There was an NPR article, http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/05/22/185832919/go-east-young-marijuana-dealer, talking about how the legalization of marijuana drove marijuana selling to places that were still illegal. This is due to cheap prices. A few things may happen if the legalization of prostitution were to come about; Either prostitutes take their business (if they're really that eager for money) to places where prostitution is still illegal for business, creating a huge influx of prostitution in those areas, increased STD transfer, etc. Or, business booms due to only health risks associated with prostitution as opposed to health risks plus legalities. If a business boom were to happen, there would again be unwarranted preganancies, rise in STD transfer, not to mention the money isn't going into the economy. Prostitutes are also at a higher chance to be affected by addictive substances or are in the lower income bracket, their income is most likely supplying their addiction. Legalizing prostitution would also reduce the rates at which prostitutes charge, meaning they would have to do more prostitution just to get the same money they were getting before. Or basically, they're deeper in the hole that they put themselves in in the first place.

    There's also the fact that, with an increase in prostitution due to the legalization of the act, would most likely warrant more human trafficking incidents, rape, etc. There are just too many unwanted consequences that come with the legalization of something like this.

    Suppose prostitution was legal though, how exactly would the government regulate it? Do you expect people to go out and get licenses in prostitution? That would provide a source of revenue and "certification". But past that, the government cannot possibly make revenue off of prostitution. It's like trying to tax a street market. There are always ways to get around it, such as under the table payments and such. With that, prostitution is not like the porn industry which IS regulated by municipalities requiring regular STD testing every so often and condom usage. How would the government regulate prostitutes? There's not an effective way to enforce contraceptive use among prostitutes (especially when condom usage would decrease the pleasure for both parties), or regular STD screenings. You could try and establish legal "brothels" or kind of like strip clubs but for prostitution, but again, licensing is an issue. Who will really regulate them, will you really use police officers or inspectors to check out all of these places? Not to mention if someone is going to make an establishment specifically for prostitutes, I'm sure there will be an easier and cheaper way to just get the same service on the street.

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    Replies
    1. I apologize if I miss any points within your post.
      - I believe that by regulating prostitution there would in fact be a decrease in the amount of human trafficking, STD's, unwarranted pregnancies etc.
      My best example would again be in reference to alcohol. One could say that the prohibition of alcohol did not drive down the altercations alcohol produced. In fact it was indeed less safe because of bootleg beverages like moonshine. But now that alcohol is legal, things like moonshine, ( which was very dangerous ) have become obsolete.
      Hopefully with the legalization of prostitution AND its regulation things like human trafficking and spread of STD's will also decrease.
      The only way for the government to benefit from this is to tax it. Which is possible. Set up brothels and regulate them. To say who would set them up or regulate them is shooting down the idea before knowing if it would work . It is working oversees in the European nations and in the US, Nevada.

      Costa Rica's safety could be in result of many other issues. Remember there are 22 countries in which prostitution is legal and most of them are fairly safe.

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  3. (Continuation from above)

    In Greece, who is really enforcing these health checks? Law enforcement will only require screenings of those that they see, probably on the streets during the day because they are homeless (hence the reason for prostitution). The rest of the population engaging in prostitution wouldn't be getting regular health screenings unless they are self-conscious about it. Also, we all know how Greece's economic situation is right now...

    Iceland has one of the highest drug abuse rates in the world. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/jul/02/drug-use-map-world My point above applies.

    Costa Rica isn't exactly the safest place for a female sex-worker. There are high rates of sexual abuse, kidnapping, human trafficking, and I'm sure the legalization of prostitution isn't helping that.

    I'm sure there are already government or public facilities in place for those already in the industry. Most in the industry are fully aware of the risks and are doing it due to quick money. Mental health expertise and counseling will have a negligible effect on the prostitution rates. Offering more opportunities for prostitutes to find other employment would be ideal, but it's hard to beat rates such as $100 an hour, or difficult to hire someone who needs to clean up first.

    Viewing prostitution being similar to cigarettes is a valid comparison, however the juxtaposition with alcohol I believe can be argued. Moderate alcohol consumption does have its health benefits, as well as providing an industry that can at least be taxed and regulated. Cigarettes are still a product that can be taxed and provide revenue. However, you cannot "produce" humans, sell them, and tax them. It just doesn't work.

    Also, I would love to see your sources.

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    1. Here are just a few of my sources.

      I foolishly didn't record every website, article etc. I visited, but for future posts I will be sure to do so.

      http://prostitution.procon.org/

      http://findingjustice.org/prostitution-statistics/

      http://sex-crimes.laws.com/prostitution/prostitution-statistics

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  4. Government should regulate the business of prostitution not the act. I don't see how its contradicting. The government cant control whether you drink or not, in regards to adults, ( the act ) they can control the business and legal aspect ( laws enforcing no drinking while driving, how much alcohol is allowed in a beverage etc.)

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