Becky Tobin

Professor Pope

English 101

April 22, 2012

Legalization of Women’s Prostitution

            Prostitution is defined as a sexual service in which there is a connection between the seller and buyer; this is illegal in many states. Everyone has a different opinion towards prostitution. It can be a disturbance to society, and can be a health issue. However if it was legalized in the United States, there would be many benefits. It would bring positive benefits to prostitutes, but most of all make society more safe and healthy. 

            Prostitution is looked down upon in society, but some women feel they have no other choice besides this career. Prostitution can cause concerns in society due to health issues, exposure to children, and exploitation of women.  Some women who have abusive partners, bad childhoods, and economic needs at times turn to this field.  Women, who do decide to go in this field, are aware of the dangers, but still go forward with it. It’s a women’s choice whether or not she put herself in this situation, however it’s some women’s last resort to gain some money to keep them alive. 

            In the article, “Why is Prostitution Criminalized? An Alternative Viewpoint on the Construction of Sex Work”, a study was done from Brazil.  Women sex workers were interviewed, and the results they found were 100% of these women used condoms while performing any sexual act and that only 16.5% ever contracted an STD (Hayes-Smitha & Shekarkharb, 2010). Although there are prostitutes in Brazil it is still decriminalized other words known as being treated illegal. In the United States the results are different because, prostitutes are more afraid to walk into a doctor’s office. They believe they will be judged or stereotyped.  Not only are they afraid of the image they perceive but they also feel as if they will be reported for committing a crime and, if they have children, they will be taken away from them.  If the legalization of prostitution was passed, and government allowed it to be a profession, women would be tested frequently for diseases. This would protect them, but also their partners who they are having intercourse with.

      Another health problem that is faced with prostitution is drug use. From an article called “Meeting of Professions”, it said “95 percent of prostitutes are drug users” (Harrison, 2005).  Most women prostitute to support their habit, and because they don’t get any medical help, they have no way to get clean. Drug use spreads diseases, such as AIDS and HIV.  If prostitution was legalized, women would be able to get the treatment to help guide them on the right path of living. 

            Although prostitutes put themselves in a dangerous position, some are raped and abused by their customers. It states that if prostitution were legalized, “rape in the USA would drop by 25% or 25,000 rapes per year” (Hayes-Smitha&Shekarkharb, 2010).  If a prostitute was put in this situation they are unable to get help from the police or press charges, because they are also committing an illegal crime. Not only do these women get abused from their costumers, but they also can be abused by their pimps. Legalizing prostitution can allow women to feel comfortable calling a police officer for help, and can drop the amount violence against women.  Most of all it will allow women to live stable lives. Women won’t have to fear being prosecuted for this choice of career.  Since rape acts go un-reported men are able to get away, because the prostitutes don’t call the cops.  So if they were able to call the police more rapists can be caught, and then taken off the streets before they can do more acts of this type.

             One way to make communities safer is to have managed zones for prostitutes. These zones would be located in different areas of the state, and they will be regulated by the government. This will protect the women living in them, making it safer, and healthier. In order to work in these zones, women will have to have license, and have medical checkups on a weekly basis.  If one is to fail a check up, and have a disease, they will not be allowed to work unless they get treated. If the government is monitoring these zones it will be less likely that any crime will be committed, and women will not be victimized.  The zones will have brothels (a house where prostitutes go) so women can feel protected, since they are being watched over, and not alone in the streets. Women who live in these brothels will have people who manage them. This will limit the chance of someone getting taken or even killed.  The communities will be cleaner once these women are taken off the streets. 

            The last reason why the legalization of prostitution could be a benefit of the USA is the money income. Our country is in a severe financial crisis, and any little jobs could help regulate the economy.  If prostitution were to be legalized it could help bring in an income to the country.  So many people are involved in this profession; pimps, prostitutes, and costumers, which means there is a large amount of money. If the government were monitoring this profession they would be able to take a large percentage of the income, and put it into the economy.  If prostitution were an actual job women will be able to help the economy, and allow them to make more money for themselves. A tax rate can be placed on this career. Since the government will be regulating this, they can take as much as long as they still pay everyone for their work. 

    Prostitution is looked down upon in many places in America, and some even see it as a social disturbance. However Nevada has a few counties that have different views of this crime. Although prostitution is illegal in Nevada, they have made it legal in some parts. It shows on a government website, ProCon.org each state laws regarding prostitution and the fees they have on the brothels that are placed in those counties. “Nevada has more than half of its counties that have legalized this act. Storey County in particular has made it legal, and has to pay $75, 000 towards the brothels each year.”(ProCon). This means that they still have to pay for the brothels, which means that the government gets some of the money. Legalization of prostitution can do a lot for this country, and as Nevada has already done, it is time to look past the cons of this work choice and think about the health and care for others.

    If the government were the ones to monitor and regulate prostitution, making it legal, many of the disadvantages of this profession would become an advantage.  These advantages would not only help those who are part of this profession but also those who are living in the communities which prostitution is taking place.  Studies show that health in these communities will benefit from the legalization, that crime, violence, rape and drug use will decrease.