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Advantages and disadvantages of legalized prostitution
Advantages and disadvantages of legalized prostitution
Advantages and disadvantages of legalized prostitution
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Sex is a topic that is rarely openly discussed in America. Some would say that is an example of moral decency, others might argue that this is just a prudish mindset we inherited from early puritan settlers. Sex for pay or prostitution, is one concept so at odds with this taboo that it has been declared immoral and illegal. Forty-eight out of fifty states have decided that prostitution should be illegal. On the surface, this widespread ban on prostitution may appear to combat the spread disease and sex slavery, but, upon further inspection, this assertion might not be supported by facts. The creation of a legal and highly-regulated form of prostitution in the United States could help slow the rate at which sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are spread, lower the demand for sex slaves, and improve the quality of life for the prostitutes that already operate in the United States, and should be implemented despite any moral or ethical objections some individuals may have.
At first glance, legalizing prostitution may not seem like the best method for reducing STDs, and the preservation of public health might seem like a legitimate reason for continuing the ban on prostitution. However, since current prostitutes operate illegally, they may not have the motivation, education, or access to protection needed to practice safe sex, such as the use of condoms and receiving regular medical checkups for STDs. Now let us contrast this current situation with a legal alternative that requires frequent and stringent testing of prostitutes for STDs. Such a system already exists in the United States. According to the laws established by the Nevada Administration Code (NAC), an individual is allowed to engage in prostitution after being cleared me...
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...ractical approach to increasing public health.
Works Cited
Nevada Administration Code Chapter 441A(Communicable diseases) March 2, 2011. http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-441A.html#NAC441ASec800
Nicole Franck Masenior, Chris Beyer, “The US Anti-Prostitution Pledge: First Amendment Challenges and Public Health Priorities.” PLoS Medicine 4.7 (2007): 1158-1160. Web . 4 March 2011.
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. “Human Trafficking Into and within the United States: A review of the Literature.” Study of Human Health Services programs Serving Human Trafficking victims. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
Kloer, Amanda. “Atlanta Pimp Locks Woman in Dog Cage for Trying to Escape Prostitution.” March 1, 2011. http://news.change.org/stories/atlanta-pimp-locks-woman-in-dog-cage for-trying-to-escape-prostitution
One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is not a book about a superhuman. It is not a story about someone who is weaker and more desperate than everyone else. It is not a tale of greatness, nor is it about extraordinary faults. Instead, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn chose to center his story around Ivan denisovich Shukhov, an average, unnoticeable Russian prisoner.
Kelly’s article has raised valid points regarding safety to the prostitute within a brothel, but there is so much evidence that proves the ill effects of this experiment in other countries that the evidence cannot be ignored. Although, parts of the sex trade industry may initially see positive results for some of the workers, the majority would end up worse off than before. Due to the illegal nature of this industry and the control exuded by the pimp, the physical and psychological risk to the prostitute, the highly addictive nature of sex, and the organized crime behind the scenes orchestrating and controlling ever aspect of the industry, it is clear that decriminalizing prostitution would result in significant negative affects on society, prostitutes and those with sexual addictions.
“There is no difference in work in which a women sells her hands, such as a typist, and a work in which a women sells her vagina, as in sex work.” Claims author Lacy Sloan. In today’s society, many people believe that prostitution is an immoral act. It is the world’s oldest profession and because it has been long condemned, sex workers are stigmatized from mainstream society (ProQuest Staff). However, the act of purchasing sex between consenting adults should not be prohibited by the government, but regulated for society's overall best interests. Prostitution is illegal and as a consequence prostitutes are often victims of violence and sexual assault; therefore, prostitution should be legalized and regulated to ensure the safety of sex workers.
How far do our moral obligations extend? Is saving a drowning child right in front of us enough? Should we give everything we possibly can to those less fortunate across the world? With these problem question there are two types of acts that follow. One is supererogatory and the other is obligatory. A supererogatory act is an act that is good but is acceptable not to perform. An obligatory act is an act that it would be wrong or unacceptable not to form. Peter Singer has very strong opinions concerning the global poor population. This paper will share his theory, provide some objections to his theory and explain why his theory in reason has good intentions.
The truth is, though, that prostitution is not as harmless or victimless as it seems. In fact, all too often the women involved in the trade are not even working out of their own free will. Aside from the brutal realities of forced prostitution, other problems lurk beneath the surface, as well; but could the harm associated with prostitution be alleviated through decriminalization? It is impossible to know for certain exactly what would happen were legal prostitution a reality, but in order to effectively evaluate the consequences of such a change, the potential dangers and benefits must be considered.
Wurth, Margaret H, et al., “Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in the United States and the Criminalization of Sex Work.” Journal of the International AIDS Society. 16.1 (2013): 1 - 3. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
When it comes to the topic of legalizing prostitution, some of us will readily agree that it is the oldest profession that involves money rather than the historic hunter and gather. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of the safety of the man or woman selling their body for financial gain. Though I concede that prostitution can be dangerous, I still insist that legalizing prostitution would not only benefit the men and women involved, it would also be a financial gain to the government.
Those against sex work say the rate of HIV and STIs will increase; that is not true. Prostitutes will avoid being checked for STIs or reporting abuse for fear of being arrested this leave. It just so happened that in one court case, police officers were using condoms found on women as evidence of prostitution (Fuchs 4). This not only persuades female sex workers to not be safe but also encourages average women who are not sex workers to be unsafe as well. With STIs endanger the entire population, this is not a risk we should take. With the legalization of prostitution, law enforcement will be able to devote more time to pressing issues (Harvard Law 27). We have more pressing issues such that the law enforcement could effect such as rape and sex
Opponents argue that, prostitution has health effects and that is the reason as to why it remains illegal in most parts of the United States. Prostitution has social economic, physical, and a number of mental implications. The prostitutes and their clients are subject to a nu...
The viewpoints that are the most vehemently opposed to legalizing prostitution in the United States stem from religious ideals. Charles Clark, senior editor at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, suggests that sex out of marriage is a large factor in the disapproval of prostitution from religious Americans (1993). The religious perspective offers something than many prostitution arguments lack. A series of guidelines and clear cut rules on the matter. Evelina Giobbe (as cited in Clark, 1993), director of Women Hurt in Systems of Prostitution, implies that most religious groups find that prostitution is immoral (1993). The idea that prostitution is immoral makes making policy on the matter easy. Those who prescribe to the religious way of thinking seem to suggest that prostitution should not be allowed and therefore criminalized. On the other hand there are arguments against prostitution that feel that it is immoral for other reasons.
As human beings, we are forced to accept the inevitability of being unwillingly confronted with situations that test the strength of our morality and character. In the midst of deep moral conflict we become immensely introspective and we follow our intuition with the hopes of it guiding us towards the morally correct decision. However, how can we be sure that we have acted morally in a situation that is so morbid and perverse that our intuition is completely torn? This is the dilemma that is faced by the mother who is given a terrible choice by a Nazi officer: either the officer will kill all three of her children, or the mother must kill one in order preserve the lives of the other two. In this situation, guilt remorse and intense emotional pain are unavoidable, thus the mother is forced to reflect upon her intrinsic morals and values to guide her choice, however horrific it may be.
First, Prostitution shouldn’t be criminalized because it is a victimless crime. In no way is there a victim in what prostitutes do, of course you could argue that the spreading of diseases could be a victim. But the fact that it could happen during regular intercourse should completely nullify that argument in favor of legalizing. Criminalizing prostitution is a way for slowing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases; it is not a way to confront the problem of STD’s. We saw this quite clearly in the time of alcohol prohibition in this country. “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. –Unknown
Little do most know, but on “[a]verage [prostitution] arrest[s], court and incarceration costs amount to nearly $2,000 per arrest. Cities spend an average of 7.5 million dollars on prostitution control every year, ranging from 1 million dollars to 23 million dollars.” Prostitution is the oldest known profession. Currently in 49 countries and counting prostitution is legal. Here in America there is a stigma following the label prostitute. We would rather resort to underground markets of sex labor. Endangering health, rights, and economics. Legalizing prostitution can reduce health hazards by giving heath care, also by giving rights to those that choose prostitution as their profession. In the long term this
Many customers do not agree with the usage of condom and this affects the health of the prostitutes and their families as many venereal diseases could be transmitted by these men. Sex workers living with HIV who become pregnant need to be given a full range of options and not coerced to have terminations. In most cases the sex workers with HIV are forced to have terminations and are not allowed to give birth. If proper medical facilities are provided to these women then transmission of the disease can be stopped. These problems are rapidly increasing and adopting a systematized mechanism of legal structure is the only way to get through the
Second, prostitution is a great health risk to the U.S. because of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). A major concern about STDs is the spread of AIDS, which is currently a deadly STD because a cure has not been found for the disease. The transmission of STDs is already on the rise due to many uneducated teenagers having unprotected sex. In addition, most of theses teens are not going to a physician to be screened for STDs. Because of this, many curable STDs are going untreated and being spread throughout a community.