Why is one of the oldest professions on earth illegal in almost every state of the U.S.? Prostitution is something that has always been looked down upon in American society, but has continued to remain in the shadows. No matter how much it is disliked, it seems it will never go away. So, if it is not affecting people who do not choose to associate with it, why do we care to prosecute those who choose to partake in this activity? The sexual habits of two consenting adult really is not any business of societies. Legalizing prostitution has many positive aspects. Legalization of prostitution would promote safety and reduce crime, it would put law enforcement resources to better uses, and finally it would promote civil liberty and privacy.
First off, legalized prostitution would promote safety and reduce crime. For example in Nevada where prostitution is legal, the state law requires that registered brothel prostitutes be checked weekly for sexually transmitted diseases and monthly for HIV. Furthermore, condoms are mandatory for all oral sex and sexual intercourse. Brothel owners may be held liable if customers become infected with HIV after a prostitute has tested positive for the virus (Armentano, par.4). Controlled and regulated atmosphere will not only create safety for the ladies, but as well as their customers. Plus, containing these activities to designated locations will keep it off the streets and out of the neighborhoods. Thus, unwanted exposure to this business is minimized, out of sight, out of mind. Having a designated place for prostitutes keeps them safer. With their activities being illegal they are forced to work at night and get into the cars of strangers, making them prime targets to be robbed, beaten, or even killed. Whereas if it was legal, they would safely be inside with watchful management to protect them from such criminal acts. If such acts did occur they would not have to fear reporting it. All together prostitution and our streets would be a much safer business if it were legalized.
Next, legalized prostituition would put our law enforcement to better use. The police spend much of their time dealing with prostituitioin in one way or another. They will protrol areas specifically to arrest prostitutes and they will set up lengthy sting operations. All this is being done while murders go unsolved, rapist remain free, and countless property is stolen. Some researchers would say that so much police attention is focused on prostiution because the duties involved with it are more pleasant , less dangerous, and less complex. By allowing law enforcement to focus on such a futile task, we are giving them an easy way out of solving real crimes. Terrible crimes take place everyday, so it would be of immense value to us to have more law enforcment available to attend to them.
Finally, legalized prostituition would promote civil liberty and privacy. Laws against prostituition violate Americans rights of individual liberty and personal privacy. It isn’t any of societies business what two consenting adults choose to do behind closed doors. Provided, that an act doesn’t harm others, aren’t we legally entitled to do what we please? If so, why do we continue to waste time and money prosecuting those who participate in the prostituition business. A good example of this is provided by author Arthur Hoppe who said, “The function of the government is to protect me from others. It’s up to me, thank you, to protect me from me.” People have the right to control their own bodies and decide the best way to conduct their lives. The government does not have the right to tell women they can not charge a fee for something that they are otherwise allowed to give away for free. If the government is allowed to regulate sex and how it is dispensed, what is stopping them from telling us how many children we can have, who we are allowed to have sex with, or even what are reason is for having sex. Giving the government control of one aspect of sex opens up a can of worms as to where their boundries on sex end. We supposedly live in a free country so why should the government control such a personal aspect of someone’s life? The answer to this question is simply that they shouldn’t. Keeping prostituition illegal is a major violation of civil liberty , and an invasion one’s privacy.
Overall, prostitution should be legalized. The positive aspects of making prostitution legal far outweigh the few negatives that may exist. I know that legalizing it is something that many people fear, but the truth is they shouldn’t. Some think that if prostitution is made legal, it will lead to an increase in the amount of people doing it. I think this notion is ridiculous. Stripping and the porn industry are legal, but we don’t see little girls putting these jobs on there list of top five careers for when they grow up. Instead of wasting police resources and public money on attempting to prosecute prostitutes, it is just more effective to legalize prostitution. It is a much better idea to spend a fraction of the resources in creating a healthy environment for both prostitutes and their customers. Legalized prostitution will help reduce crime and will promote safety. Legalization will free up our law enforcement for more important duties. Legalized prostitution will also be giving privacy and liberty as it is deserved. Legalization seems to be the best solution to the prostitution industry. It is time we stop prosecuting one of the oldest professions on Earth, and start dealing with it in a more appropriate manner.
Bibliography
Armentano, Paul. The Case for Legalized Prostitution. Dec 1993. The Future of Freedom Foundation. 2007.
http://www.fff.org/freedom/1293e.asp
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