Erika Williams
In my essay, I tried to point out the benefits of prostitution. There are so many advantages
to legalizing it that I do not see why prostitution is illegal. I made sure that I pointed out both
sides of the argument in a way that they could be seen hand-in-hand. You can see one side’s
opinion, then the other side’s directly after, which I believe makes it easier to compare.
My writing process mostly contains procrastination. I have found that I would
best under pressure, because if I know that I have to get it done, and I only have x amount of
time, I will focus and really think about what I am writing. I pretty much do everything last
minute, but that is what works for me. I just work better under pressure because I can stay calm
and focus, so that is what I do.
I feel like my writing accomplishes what I was trying to achieve. It shows you, the
reader, the positive and the negative attitudes on prostitution, and I do not believe that it
pressures you to side with me. When my rough draft was peer edited in class, the student who
read it told me that she was against prostitution, but my essay made her almost change her mind.
She saw what I believe, and why I feel the way I do. But it did not pressure her to change her
mind because my essay is made up of facts that support my beliefs.
I have honestly never had to write an essay where I had to state my opinion on the topic; I
have always had to write papers that just talked about the issues and both sides. I really think that
this will make it easier for the next opinionative argument essay that I have to write—although I
hope I do not have to write very many more.
I feel good about this essay. I have always felt that I am a decent writer, and I think that
this essay has been one of my better ones, simply because it made me think differently about
how I had to write it. It was not the same old paper, and it expanded my knowledge.
Erika Williams
Prostitution has been around for years. The question about whether or not it should be
legal has also been around for some years. There are valid points to each side of the argument,
and this is not an issue that should be taken lightly. My question is should prostitution be
legalized; should people be allowed to sell their bodies? Is it morally right? I have found that this
issue seems to be extremely black and white, with very little grey area. And which side you
associate with can be a tough decision to make. I struggled with choosing a side; I personally
believe that it should be legal, but I would never want my daughter or son to be a part of the sex
trade, which is what made my decision hard. But I stand by the belief that it should be legalized.
Prostitution was practiced in many cultures, dating way back in history; there are
references to the profession found in ancient texts. Prostitution is even talked about in the Bible
(Ari Armstrong). In fact, it is said that prostitution is the oldest occupation. So why is it illegal?
For starters, many people believe prostitution to be immoral, and degrading. It is argued that God
made sex to be sacred, and to only be shared between a man and his wife (Sex Isn’t a Spector
Sport). I find this to be a flawed reason for the government to ban prostitution. There are many
people living in the United States who do not believe in a God. And, church and state are
supposed to be separated. But by using the moral issues of religion, the government is not
separating the church and state. The author of Sex Isn’t a Spector Sport claims that God did not
have in it mind to have sex outside of the marriage of a man and a woman. However, it is not the
government’s decision to make about whether or not sex should be allowed outside of a
marriage. If you ask me, if it person wants to have sex, that is their decision. And if they want to
get paid for it, or want to pay for it, that is also their choice to make; not the government’s.
It is a known fact that most of the women in prostitution got into the profession because
they were living in poverty and did not believe that they had any better options. So what would
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really change? The amount of women who would put themselves into prostitution would go up,
yes, but no matter if it is legal or not, the majority of prostitutes will always be women from
poverty. In fact, if prostitution were to become legal, those women would feel safer. They would
have protection and be able to go to the police if they were beat or raped. According to the author
of Sex Isn't a Spectator Sport, the U.S. State Department's office has found that "…in nine
countries…60 to 75 percent of women in prostitution were raped, 70 to 95 percent were
physically assaulted, and 68 percent met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder…”. But if
the government were to legalize prostitution, I believe that those numbers would drop drastically.
Those women would have the protection that they needed because the government could have
regulations, such as requiring brothels to have bouncers and other forms of security—without
violating anybody’s rights, of course.
One of the biggest debates within the debate over prostitution legalization is over what
are known as STIs, or sexually transmitted infections. Many people are afraid that AIDs and HIV
is spread because of prostitution. But in Nevada, where prostitution is legal, the females actually
do not transmit any infections. In legalized “bordellos”, the prostitutes are required to get
monthly blood tests to insure that they are providing safe service (Paul Armentano). The main
reason so many STIs are being spread around now is because prostitution is on the Black Market,
and the women are not required to take any tests. I know that I would feel better about wanting to
get sexually involved with a person, whom has had one or more sexual encounters, with a
prostitute if the women were required to be clean to employed as a prostitute.
Paying a woman for her sexual services is illegal, but yet there is pornography sold all
over the country for anybody to watch. According to Sherry F. Colb, “New York Penal Law
defines a prostitute as a person ‘who engages or agrees or offers to engage in sexual conduct
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with another person in return for a fee.’”. I do not see the difference between that definition and
pornography. Those women, and those men, are being paid to have sex. How is it any different
that prostitution? Those men and women are still being paid to have sex. It does not matter where
the money is coming from, pornography is still prostitution, and if it can be legal, then I am
certain that so should street prostitution.
Legalizing prostitution would also save the United States tax payers’ money. There
would be less prostitutes going to jail, and more room for people who commit real crimes, such
as murder and rape. Think about it; tax payers would save more money because they would be
paying for less people living in jail. Paul Armentano points out that, “…the city of Los Angeles
alone spends close to 100 million dollars annually dealing with illegal prostitution…these public
resources could have been used to protect law-abiding citizens from real criminals.” Those
women are doing what they have to do to survive, and they are not hurting anybody in any way,
and there is no need for them to be put in jail. Where is the real crime in having sex? Other than
the beliefs of religious people, there is no crime is accepting money for a service. I do not see the
crime in that. If nobody is being hurt, then how does the government have the right to tell us we
are not allowed to sell our bodies, which I believe to be a person’s most important possession,
and that they should have every right to with what they please.
Prostitution is, and probably always will be, a very debatable topic. Even if it is not
legalized ever, it will still be something people talk about, and debate over. It has been around
for years, and it will never go away. It cannot be eliminated, and I think that is should just be
legalized. I personally see more positive outcomes than negative consequences. It would save the
United States millions of tax payers’ dollars, and would no longer infringe on people’s rights to
owning their body. The government is supposed to be about the peoples’ rights, but by
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prohibiting us the right to sell our body, I feel like those rights are being encroached on. It would
also help to slow down the spread of STIs by the requirement of being tested. All in all, I see no
problems with a woman having complete rights to her body. It is her body and it is the property
of no one but her.
Erika Williams
Works Cited
Armentano, Paul. "The Case for Legalized Prostitution." Welcome to The Future of Freedom
Foundation. Dec. 1993. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. <http://www.fff.org/freedom/1293e.asp>.
Armstrong, Ari. "Should Prostitution Be Legal? : Speakout : The Rocky Mountain News."
Denver Newspaper, with the Latest Colorado News, Sports, Weather and Entertainment :
Rocky Mountain News. 15 Mar. 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/15/should-prostitution-be-legal/>.
Colb, Sherry F. "The Legal Line between Porn and Prostitution - CNN." Featured Articles From
The CNN. 12 Aug. 2005. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. <http://articles.cnn.com/2005-0812/justice/colb.pornography_1_prostitution-ring-sexual-servicespornography?_s=PM:LAW>.
"Sex Isn't a Spectator Sport." Christianity Today 50.7 (2006): 20-21. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 1 Nov. 2010.