In Patty Kelly’s compelling article, entitled ‘Enough Already, It’s Time We Decriminalize Prostitution’, she shows us the impact and effects that prostitution has on society and women of the profession today. While the article is very eye opening and effectively shows the reader an inside view of the issue, Kelly neglects to confidently present factual, confidently sourced evidence and presents the audience with too many personal anecdotes, resulting in a strong pathos effect on the article. Subsequently, leaving the reader uncertain about the accuracy and bias of each argument. Without proper sourcing, the information Kelly includes in her article is not credible.
The sexist origins of the criminalization of prostitution tie into the issue of criminalizing victims of sex trafficking in that the blame has historically been on those providing the service instead of the individuals paying for it; in fact, “young girls are prosecuted at reportedly higher rates than even the men who exploit them” (Annitto, 2011, p.
Sex Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery that exists throughout the United States and globally. It is one of the biggest lies in society (Farley et., 2014). The Vanderbilt Law Review indicates that the majority of prostitutes do not enter the prostitution lifestyle on their own free will choice, but instead becomes a prostitute due to a variety of vulnerabilities that both pimps and traffickers exploit. This explains why young women get blindsided and think they are becoming a prostitute when in reality they are a sex trafficking victim (Elrod 2015). When the United States made prostitution illegal, it did not change the mentality of the johns.
Notoriously referred to as the world’s oldest profession, prostitution thrives in every nation across civilizations, even in the strictest political and moral climates. In the article “Understanding Prostitution and the Need for Reform,” author Tesla Carrasquillo defines a prostitute as someone who “provides a sexual service in exchange for money.” How one defines prostitution effects how social scientists determine the origin of this profession. For example, if social scientists merely defined prostitution as the exchange of sexual acts for something of value, then “prostitution predates humans.” Animal behaviorists have observed (primarily female) primates offering sexual favors in exchange for food or protection from larger male primates.
Law enforcement fears that if sex work becomes legal, it will cause issues within the proper enforcements of the specific law, it is even possible that it could be challenging to help a victim in this situation depending on the law that is enforced (Swanson, 2016). Not only are their cons about this topic in the states, but even in India individuals see it as a problem. Though prostitution is now seen as legal there, individuals once swore that AIDs would never be an issue due to their strict moral values, and though legal, some still label prostitutes as “the vector and transmitter” of AIDs (Carlson, 2001). These beliefs in India cause the men and women who work in this profession to experience negative stigmas and allows them to not live as freely as others working in different professions. Through research, it was made rather obvious that individuals seemed to focus on similar topics when discussing the negative aspects of prostitution.
“Prostitution is one of the of worlds oldest professions” (Kipling 1) and still has quiet a relevance in today’s society. However, unlike this primitive profession, a not-so-old debate is whether or not the United States should legalize prostitution. Prostitution has been portrayed through many different perspectives, although facts show proof of the negative effects that it wreaks on society, along with tarnishing the morals of Americans. Concerning America and its people, prostitution should not be legalized in any way.
Source C differs completely by offering the perspective of Nevada, and its unique regulations that can serve as a model for the US. Finally, source D shares the important stance of concerned citizens in today's society supporting equal support to the freedom of adults to buy or sell sex if they feel they need it, while protecting our American society. Due to the ethical, health, and economic benefits, prostitution should be legalized in the US. Being as prostitution is often seen as ethically incorrect, the legalization of prostitution would relieve this stigma due to laws that would be implemented. In a modern opinion piece for the New York Times written from the perspective of a reviewer, the author states that by legalizing prostitution, it adds morality to the institution by
The entrenched Constitution outlines the rules and the principles that govern the nation. The government has the responsibility to resonate the empowering voice of the nation and to protect an individual’s right to security by criminalizing the act of prostitution. In addition, the tainted world of prostitution welcomes the atrocities of sex trafficking and organized crime that pierce through the heart of this nation. Moreover, the vicious acts of violence and the elevated spread of incurable sexual diseases have left an agonizing wound on sex workers. This deep cut can only be healed through the criminalization of prostitution in Canada.
In her article Legalizing Prostitution: An Introduction, she explores countries that have legalized prostitution and compares the pros and cons between them. Trifiolis states, “The arguments are endless as to whether legalizing prostitution is an advantage or a shortcoming. However, the cons outweigh the pros significantly” (15). Some may argue that one of the main advantages of legalizing prostitution is that it will take majority of sex workers off of the street. While most people assume this, it is ultimately untrue as legalizing prostitution actually increases hidden prostitution.
If sex trafficking can remain a criminal act, the severity of it will decrease as well as the commonality of it. This essay will argue for keeping sex trafficking a criminal act, while fighting for decriminalization of the victims. This will allow for a decrease in sex trafficking. Through
Prostitution is considered to be one of the oldest professions. Prostitution is an illegal business in many countries of the world and it is considered to be largely immoral. However, its scope is expanding simultaneously with the globalization of business and culture, which is the hallmark of our time. Researchers and activists continue to discuss whether it is possible to consider the purchase and sale of sexual services as an industry. Is it necessary to regulate the activities of prostitutes in a legal way, or should they be provided with legislative and medical protection?
While the spread of disease and other detriments are possible in the practice of prostitution, criminalization is a sure way of exacerbating rather than addressing such effects.” Sherry believes that prostitution is not a 'victimless crime' in the sense that no one is necessarily harmed by it is that there are consenting adults involved"(Top
Over the years there have been many controversial ethical issues which are still debated in the 21st century. In today’s modern society one such controversial issue is prostitution. Prostitution can be defined as “The act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse for money” (Deigh, 2010, p.29). Prostitution is the oldest profession of all. However the ethics of prostitution is still unclear between many societies.
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.
The United Nations’ Convention held in 1949, stated prostitution to be “incompatible with human dignity”. According to the Oxford Dictionary, prostitution is defined as "The practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment." Often referred to as the “oldest profession” in the world, prostitution has become a burning issue in today’s world. The ongoing debate on whether to legalize, criminalize or decriminalize prostitution seems to be quite unresolvable. This paper investigates the negative impacts of legalizing prostitution such as 1) encouragement of prostitution, 2) increase in the incidence of human trafficking and 3) exposure of prostitutes to severe harm such as drug abuse, infection from sexually transmitted diseases and violence, which clearly supports the fact that prostitution should not be legalized.
