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Madilynn Stapleton
Mrs. Walroth
ARC 5th Hour
2 December 2013
Insanity
Thomas Edison once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and
expecting different results.” If one knows that the outcome of a given situation will be less than
pleasing, why should he or she attempt it? This is how the topic of prostitution should be viewed.
Many different countries all around the world, including Germany and Australia, have made
prostitution legal. They were unprepared, however, for the consequences. Prostitution is linked to
several other heinous crimes so when legalized in these countries, there was a significant rise in
certain problems, including rape and poverty. Some people defend prostitution and say that the
only reason why prostitution has become so dangerous is because it is illegal. Others say that
prostitution is wrong and will be just as dangerous, if not more, if legalized. While it is
commonly believed that legalizing prostitution might make the business safer for those involved,
it will only lead to bigger problems and it has failed miserably in countries who have attempted
it.
While prostitution is bad enough on its own, it can often lead to larger problems. Rape
and poverty are devastating side effects of prostitution. According to Ntokozo Yingwana, 63%
of the people involved in prostitution (in a given study) were raped. Another problem that goes
along with prostitution is poverty. 75% of people in the same study had been homeless at one
point in time (Yingwana). The main reason that people become prostitutes is because they are
too afraid to ask for help. Instead of living in a homeless shelter and eating at the local soup
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kitchen, they choose to put themselves and their loved ones on the streets. This situation will go
unchanged if the business is legalized. The Germans thought that they might test this theory and
discovered, according to Janice Shaw Crouse, that “many prostitutes in Germany still live in
poor conditions and are exploited by the pimps and the landlords who take the majority of the
prostitutes' earnings”. Poverty, as well as many other problems, will always accompany
prostitution and legalizing the trade will not change that.
Furthermore, legalized prostitution has proved unsuccessful in several countries who
have attempted it. Countries like Germany believed that it was a good idea, however; it did not
work out in their favor. As stated in the article, "Legalization of Prostitution Far from Innovative,
Historian Says,” after legalizing prostitution in Germany, there was not only an increase in sex
trafficking of women and children but it also failed to change the stigma attached to prostitution
for the past few years (Crouse). These results are not exactly uncommon and have occurred in
several other countries who have experimented with these types of laws. According to Janice
Shaw Crouse, after legalizing prostitution in the Netherlands, there was a significant increase in
the number of trafficking victims, 40% of whom were dutch girls pimped by their boyfriends. If
violence and crime have been the outcome of every experiment with legalized prostitution, why
should it be attempted in the United States?
Additionally, it is commonly believed that legalizing prostitution will make it a safer
business, however, this is never the case. One might say that because prostitution is illegal, it has
forced sex workers into much more hidden and dangerous locations, and into accepting risky
clients who may turn out to be violent (Yingwana). Regardless of whether it is legal or not, no
one wants to own up to being a prostitute. The business will still be underground because even if
the government condones it, prostitutes are too embarrassed to ask for government assistance or
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to take their business out in the open (Murray). Another argument for the legalization of
prostitution is that there is little to no evidence that partial-criminalization stops people from
purchasing sex (Ellison and Maggin). Just because the government makes something illegal,
does not mean that it will stop people from doing it. People still rob banks even though it is
illegal and people still buy sex even though its illegal. Suppose looting was legalized. Would
more or less people steal? The same goes for buying and selling sex. So yes people will still do it
if it is illegal but many more will do it if it's legal. With all of prostitutions negative side effects,
it is obvious that an increase in prostitution will not benefit society in any way, shape, or form.
Although there are a few reasons to justify the legalization of prostitution, such as the
common belief that it will make the profession safer, there are no positive side effects of the
business. After extensive testing in countries around the world, it has been proven that rape and
poverty accompany prostitution and will only increase if the business is legalized. According to
Thomas Edison, it would be insane for the United States to legalize prostitution and expect to get
results different from countries such as Germany or Norway. Why repeat mistakes that someone
has already made?
Works Cited
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Crouse, Janice Shaw. “Legalized Prostitution: A Failed Experiment”. American Thinker.
American Thinker 2013, 24 July 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Maginn, Paul, and Graham Ellison. "Criminalising Sex Work Does More Harm Than Good."
Belfast Telegraph. 16 Jan 2013: 29. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Murray, Jacqueline. "Legalization of Prostitution Far from Innovative, Historian Says." Guelph
Mercury. 28 Mar 2012: A.3. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Yingwana, Ntokozo. "Decriminalisation of Sex Work Is Only Way to Ensure Win-Win
Outcome." Cape Times. 12 Apr 2012: 11. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.