Photo by Charles Leblanc via Flickr
Johany Hernandez/Contributing Writer
The late night hours, men known as “Johns” and a long history as far back as the ancient world pull in a subculture seen as vile and dangerous. Prostitution, dubbed the world’s oldest profession, has an awful stigma attached to it. Religion may deem it immoral and feminists may call it degrading and lacking in integrity, but its legalization has powerful good as well.
For one, it would reduce the violence against prostitutes, more so for the women. They are vulnerable to violence from their customers, pimps and madams. With prostitution legalized their profession would escape the shadows of illegality and allow its workers to call the police. If still illegal, they would be too afraid to call any authority and the rape and murder count would continue to rise.
Legalization would make sex workers healthier. The pressure of prostitutes to forego condoms is a great health risk on a global level. If legal, its workers can get tested regularly and practice safer sex. Sex workers in Nevada have to get monthly tests for Syphilis and HIV, and weekly tests for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Nevada also requires condoms for all sex in brothels.
Prostitution is arguably a victimless crime. If both parties are consenting adults and the “victims” are the prostitutes themselves, what crime is there? If legalized, women may feel empowered instead of corrupted, and the act can be seen as beneficial and uplifting.
Legal prostitution can be a source of tax revenue. If legal, then state and county governments could gain significant revenue. Even though in Nevada brothels do not pay state taxes, they do pay significant taxes to the county where they are located.
Legalization could also save law enforcement resources. The investigation into notorious John and former New York governor, Eliot Spitzer is a great example of how costly it can be to investigate sophisticated prostitution rings. From wiretapping to intercepting emails, these resources could be spent on catching terrorists instead of prostitution.
Prostitution is not going away anytime soon. There will always be lonely and kinky men looking for sex and women ready and waiting to rent out their bodies for the right price. Prostitution is a part of every culture. We legalize and regulate commerce that’s morally controversial — like tobacco, alcohol, gambling, lap-dancing, and pornography. Yes, women can be coerced into prostituting themselves, but we’re not helping them by making consenting sex-work a crime.
Prostitution,just like many things has its merits and demerits..on my side of view,the demerits are more and deadly compared to the merits so i dont think a country should legalise it. If one wants to participate in it,let them do it on an account that no one is held responsible for the results..and perhaps women have tried different jobs to make a living not prostitution..those are nincompoops who practise it.
But honestly speaking, you see trafficking, severe economic hardships and various other causes rampantly existent in the world that could possibly force people into prostitution and yet you can sit comfortably and call people who have fallen victim nincompoops. The world these days!
Prostitution isn’t going away anytime soon. If prostitution is legalized then it opens doors to a healthier business. Legalizing prostitution not only creates more tax revenue, but it could also allow prostitutes to gain labor rights and not be subjected to the lack of payment due to pimps. Violence would decrease among these women and it would save law enforcement time and money if they didn’t have to keep going after these prostitution rings. Establishing prostitution as a credited business saves time and creates more money, so why not legalize something that we all know isn’t going away. The same can be said about marijuana, legalize is because it will never go away.
Comment *I don’t think there is
any advantage of being a prostitute.all of it are disadvantages
Everybody is talking about one advantage which is money. This money is the root of all evil. Legalizing prostitution is biblically wrong and ungodly.
thanks for the wonderful information
wonderful information but the title is misleading. it should be “The benefits of legalizing prostitution”