Should Prostitution Be Legalized Essay

1695 Words7 Pages

Prostitutes are people, too. Prostitution is such a complex issue; no one ever scratches the surface of sex work. Prostitution is commonly known as the world 's oldest profession yet has been outlawed in forty-nine out of the fifty states in the United States. Legal-prostitution can require all sex workers to practice safe sex as well as get tested frequently to reduce the spread of diseases. Reduction of violence against women starts with the availability of sex. Additionally, legalization of prostitution would open a new source of tax revenue. Prostitution should be legal in the United States because it would make sex workers healthier, reduce violence against women, and it would be a substantial source of tax revenue.
By definition, prostitution means the performance of sexual acts in return for payment. Prostitutes may be of either sex, but the majority of them have been women, most clients men. “At present, prostitution is criminalized across the United States. It is permitted in a few rural counties in Nevada, where licensed brothels operate under strict regulations” (Haltiwanger). Prostitution happens no matter what, if it is illegal or not, …show more content…

But in reality, prostitution is adversely and morally wrong. There are many actions being done that are wrong and they should not be legalized just because people do it anyway. “Many people exceed the speed limit on roads, that doesn’t mean the law should suspend speed limits. Many people might choose to beat up another to a pulp but we criminalize this action whether it 's justified or not” (Anderson). This leads to the question, why then should there be an exception for prostitution? Legalizing prostitution creates the idea that sex trafficking and degrading women as sex slaves is acceptable, but in reality, it is