Shannon Gray
Legalizing Prostitution
Prostitution can be a very dangerous field of work, especially with all of the
laws against it at this time, but with the proper regulations it can become a safe
and legitimate form of income for those interested in pursuing it. Keeping
prostitution illegal in this day and age only increases the number of problems that
prostitutes and customers encounter while engaging in it illegally. The fears of
violence between all parties, pimps, prostitutes, and customers, along with the
threats of sickness and disease are all amplified by its prohibition because its
illegality prevents the proper supervision needed to keep everyone in this field
safe. I believe that if our government were to legalize a specific form of
prostitution with very detailed rules on how it is to be operated, then it could not
only clean up the streets, but could actually remodel the term “prostitution” and
make it a safer business for the customers. The legalization and regulation of
prostitution could bring about some much-needed reforms. I think that a part of the
reason prostitution is illegal is because it is uncontrollable at this point. But if we
were to allow certain branches of prostitution be legal under strict regulations,
then the government could actually restructure prostitution and mold it into a
much safer and more controlled business.
If I ever had the sudden urge to sell my body for a little extra cash, or even
if I wanted to pay a guy for sexual services, I would be classified as a criminal
according to the current legislation. There are quite a few “pros” that could come
from legalizing prostitution, and it’s time we put them back in the word.
The first and most important thing that legalizing prostitution could do is
improve safety for every person in all communities. Legalizing prostitution could
instantly improve the “slum” neighborhoods it takes place in by removing
prostitution from those neighborhoods altogether. It could take prostitutes off of
the literal streets, which would also remove all of the “negative” traffic going
through those neighborhoods to gain access to the prostitutes. There will no longer
be a constant negative presence at night, nor a negative association with the
neighborhood as a whole. The only people that would be in the community would
be those who lived there.
Even though prostitution is not legal, it happens every day. It has happened
for thousands of years and it will continue to happen whether or not it is legalized.
Keeping it illegal, however, is just making it more dangerous for those partaking
in it. It is very similar to the way things happened when abortion was illegal.
Making it against the law did not stop those who wanted to abort a baby; it just
made them do it under much more dangerous circumstances, and also made them
feel like they could not speak up when things actually did go wrong with the
process. The last thing that Americans or our government should want to do is
make someone feel like they cannot speak out about harms done to them.
Prostitutes know that they will get in trouble for being involved in prostitution, so
they endure the abuse rather than reporting it. Legalization would definitely
decrease the number of pimps that abuse or drug their prostitutes a significant
amount, and because of this, prostitutes would no longer live under a shadow of
fear about going to law enforcement if they are abused by their pimp, or even by
their customers for that matter. The legalization of prostitution would force the
registration and licensing of prostitutes replacing pimps and madams with
legitimate workers that aren’t in control of the prostitutes themselves. Everything
that is needed from a pimp will stay, but all of the negative aspects of a pimp, such
as their abusiveness and forcefulness, will no longer be in the picture because the
whole method of prostitution will be more legitimate and regulated.
A plan of action to successfully and safely legalized prostitution would be
to firstly define what types of prostitution can and cannot happen. I believe that all
forms of streetwalking or public prostitution should be illegal, unless they are in a
publicly proclaimed “Red Light District”. Those should stay illegal, and should
actually have bigger punishments if caught breaking the law. This would hopefully
get them to either find a different source of income or to get into the approved way
of prostitution.
Another condition is that all prostitutes must be clean and drug free. The
government could require that all prostitutes have some sort of permit, have
periodic mandatory drug tests, and also require medical screenings on a regular
basis. Each individual prostitution facility is responsible for making sure their
workers are clean, but if an inspector comes in and finds that the facility is not
enforcing this, they can incur a fine or even go as far as to be shut down.
Prostitution facilities, which would no longer be known as brothels or
whore houses, could be based out of homes or businesses which could be regularly
checked up on. They could be clean and well-kept with safety regulations they
must meet to stay in business. This could most importantly take the process off of
street corners and put it in a nonhazardous controlled environment, but also, it
could make the process much cleaner and safer for all those involved. Along with
that, age limitations could be put into place requiring prostitutes to reach a certain
age preferably 21 before going to work. This would encourage teens that are
considering dropping out to enter the world of prostitution to stay in school. If
nothing less it could at least prevent the numbers from skyrocketing.
There are many small yet important details that would need to be worked
out in order for prostitution to be safe. One thing that would be a must in order to
prevent abuse for either party would be that each customer would need to
surrender some sort of personal identification, whether it is an actual ID card or a
fingerprint or credit card. I know that this rule would possibly cause the most
uproar because most customers want to remain anonymous if they are involved in
prostitution, and surrendering such key information could bother that. However,
the ID will not be used, kept, or published after the customer has left. It is just a
way to ensure the safety of both the prostitute and the customer. As the customer
is leaving, he or she can come and pick up their form of ID and continue on their
way after management is sure neither the customer nor the prostitute has been
harmed.
Another thing that would be important is each facility should have actual
requirements that prostitutes have to meet weekly, monthly, and annually. Hooters
girls have to put a lot of effort into their work outside of simply waiting tables and
taking pictures. If you actually go to the Hooters website, there is a link titled
“Want To Be A Hooters Girl?” where they have a long list of demands and
requirements that each Hooters Girl must meet daily. From how to wear and color
their hair all the way down to how often and what types of exercises they have to
do weekly. It is not just a job while they are in their actual workplace, but one that
affects them outside of it. If this were to be put into action by prostitution
facilities, then not only would the appearance of the prostitutes be cleaner and
more appealing, but they would also have more things to do and accomplish in
order to keep their job, which could keep them out of many other bad things.
With a plan, prostitution can be a very profitable and safe way for those
who are unemployed to make money they need to survive. With the
unemployment rate so high in the United States, jobs are being sought out by a
large group of people who find no luck with it. In an article titled "Ignore the
Stigma and Focus on the Need", author Martha Nussbaum says repeatedly that if
we as Americans were to ignore or remove the social humiliation that is projected
on prostitutes, then it would become an amazingly profitable industry and help out
our economy and our people greatly. If prostitution were legal, it would provide
the jobless Americans with venues for self-profitable, small businesses to be
started. Prostitution is a job that is looked down upon by society but if we as a
community could look past the stereotypical title that goes with such an
occupation, I truly believe it could benefit the country as a whole. It could help the
current economy, if prostitution is taxed, could be brought out of the dusty times it
has seen over the past recent years.
The number of people that would partake in legal prostitution would be
phenomenal. If you think about the number of people that participate in sexual
activities on a regular basis, the money that could be made by charging for the
activity would be unfathomable. It would be the individual’s choice to partake in
the business stand point of prostitution but with the hard times we have all felt, I
feel that a large number of Americans would be all for the idea.
If prostitution were to become legal, there should be an age requirement.
This age requirement should be implemented only allowing individuals who are
older than 21 years of age to participate. The gender of each prostitute should be
known and clear by the way they dress and promote themselves. Regulations such
as ones used in the porn industry can be used to legitimize it and make for a
profitable organization. In the porn industry women are pay to perform sexual acts
as forms of entertainment. Prostitution is a form of personal entertainment. So it
should be considered a legal act. The porn industry is protected by rights that
insure protection from the law so that they can perform sexual acts on tapes, and
the tapes are what are sold. This evades any laws discriminating against
prostitution.
Prostitution is conducted on a daily basis, legally. Men take women out on
dates to the movies, out to eat, and buy them nice things. In return, sexual relations
erupt. If the money that was spent on movies, food, and material items was put
towards a strictly sexual relationship, time would be saved and the heartbreak that
comes with this type of relationship could be avoided. In my opinion, the way
sexual relations occur in society, leads to psychological and emotional disorders in
both men and women. Society makes sex up to be a magical illusion of emotions
that leads individuals in despair. If prostitution is legalized then the stigma of
sexual intercourse would be dumbed down to what it really is; a natural chemical
occurrence for human beings.
All in all, prostitution is an illegal act that can be penalized up to $150,000
in the United States according to ProCon.org. This can affect the lives of
American’s in a negative way. This can all be changed very easily, legalize it. The
act of prostitution, the oldest form of work in the history of time, is something that
should be used to all its advantages. It is looked down upon by society for the
strict standards on sexual conduct but the truth is, times have changed. What older
people of the government do not realize is, sexual conduct has become very loose
in younger people since the 1990’s. This day in age, the sexual life of an average
young adult would shock the generation before us. Whether it is due to the
immense amount of sex and partying in the media or the psychological standards
have changed, prostitution is the least of our worries. This is something that could
easily be controlled and made profitable. Prostitution cannot not be overlooked as
a disgrace, but more of an opportunity to better our lives.