The Violation of Rights in the Banning of Prostitution

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The Unites States of America prides itself in the freedom and liberty it allows its citizens; one of these freedoms testifying that individuals have the right to do what they want with their bodies – as such, if one wishes to participate in prostitution, an individual has that right. In fact, the 9th Amendment specifically states “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people” (cite). The constitution attests that simply because a right is not listed within it, doesn’t mean that it can therefore be violated; so, why aren’t citizens legally able to participate in prostitution? The act of prostituting is a choice that consenting individuals make with their bodies; this decision is mutually made in the exchange of sexual services for money. These individuals may be partaking in potentially risky and unfavorable actions, but that is between both the service and client. The government has no justification in involving themselves so heavily in voluntary, private affairs among two people. It can be assumed that prostitution is disapproved of in the United States; the only place in which this action is legalized is within eight counties in Nevada (cite) – could this be because of how unfavorable and uncomfortable the behavior is for society? Regardless of how individuals view this action personally, it does not justify taking another’s rights away from doing so. If it did, then we should also be creating laws against obese people and active smokers; after all, obesity kills about 300,000 Americans each year (cite), and the mortality rate for individuals who smoke is three times higher than those who don’t (cite) . Both of those examples are also looked up...

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...orms of prostitution. They are using their money towards regulating and enhancing the economic prospects for prostitutes rather than condemning their actions like most states. What does this mean for Nevada? Well, as previously mentioned, Nevada is able to tax prostitution businesses and gain revenue for their state; in other words, the money they are spending towards the regulation and promotion of prostitution is being returned in tax revenue – the amount of money being made is much more than the money being used. To sum it up simply, “sex sells”; it is considered a psychological need for human beings, and no law or societal shaming is going to change the continuation of this practice whether it be with a prostitute (which high amounts have) or not. Why not take advantage of the prostitution business, and enjoy the eight billion dollars it’ll add to our economy?

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