Currently in the United States, prostitution is legal in only 11 counties in Nevada. An estimated 90,000 prostitution arrests occur each year throughout the United States with only a small percentage of customer arrests. “Most return to prostitution after their arrests, including many who would like to leave the work, in part because virtually no comprehensive social services exist for prostitutes.”
Currently in Sweden, prostitution is decriminalized. In essence, this means that only the buyers of sex services, and not the prostitutes involved, are punished and criminalized. This might seem like an ironic approach to decrease prostitution but it is one step to ending the demand. With decriminalization, pimps, buyers and procurers are the main targets of arrests. This would allow police efforts to be better spent on problems accompanying prostitution such as assaults and rape. Sweden does not discriminate against prostitutes but instead provides resources available to them such as health clinics, public education and opportunities to escape the business.
Although decriminalization and legalization are complicated processes, what is most important is to first accept its prevalence in society and secondly cut demand to ultimately eradicate it.
Photo Credit
I think it would be a good thing for the US to decriminalize prostitution... Some women are in such extreme circumstances that the only way that they can get enough money to feed their family or pay rent is to exploit themselves... If porn stars can film themselves having sex for the public, why can't women sell their bodies behind closed doors? For the most part, legal prostitution does not directly harm anyone.. Some women aren't educated enough or don't have enough money (transportation, day care, etc.) to maintain a full or part time job.. Prostitution allows women to make a living and not be put out on the streets.. If a woman makes a conscious decision to sell her body, something that SHE and ONLY SHE owns, she should have the right to do so..
ReplyDeleteI agree prostitution should be legalized. If stripping and porn are legal then prostitution is the next step. If this was legalized the government would need to put some restrictions on how/ where/ when they sell their bodies also there should be a required std testing implemented. I think legalization of prostitution is something that could be in Americas future but it might take a while to get there.
ReplyDeleteI believe prostitution should be legalized. It would be much safer for the women involved if it was. It doesn't really make sense that the customers are not arrested, yet the prostitute is. When times are tight, people will really do just about anything to put food on the table and care for their children. If a woman makes the decision to sell herself, who are we to tell her it's wrong?
ReplyDeleteI, too, think that a woman should have the right to sell her body if she wishes. I think one of the main issues is that many westerners see legalizing prostitution as a gateway to many other problems that they don't particularly want to deal with or problems that have an extremely complicated question/solution(for example not knowing if a woman is a prostitute or sex slave). I also think that if prostitution were to be legalized, many other regulations would have to be put in place (ie. to have regular STI tests etc.) Although I don't think it's right to tell a woman that her profession is morally wrong, I think a lot of westerners believe prostitution is degrading and wrong and this belief would probably cause more bad than good if it were legalized.
ReplyDeleteI agree that, if one is willing to sell their own body, not because they are being forced to, why no! They have every right to their own body and also to choose the style of work they choose. Although it seems simple, I can understand where the government is coming from when they want to decriminalize prostitution all together. It is sometimes hard to distinguish between one who is 18+ and wants to do this because they actually want to, and then another who isn't as willing and is being trafficked and forced to have sex with others. If the law enforcers were to be further educated on the signs of trafficking and also prostitution, then perhaps legalizing prostitution would help those who want it to be their profession, and maybe even the economy.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that there is not one comment disagreeing - we all come to the same conclusion that women should own the right to sell their own bodies. I think however there should be a bigger focus on the difference between a prostitute supporting herself (and possibly others) with the money she makes selling her body and a sex slave*.
ReplyDeleteSweden has the right idea, by focusing on punishment for the exploiters (pimps, johns) and not the exploited they lessen the number of men willing to risks themselves. They have no moral issue risking the health of these women and should have severe consequences.
I am a firm supporter or legalizing prostitution. I think that if it was legal those who are prostitutes could earn more money and thus eliminate pimps. It could be a huge business, it could be regulated to agree with Jasmine ,that there would be clinics and it could be more safe in terms of STD's and avoiding spreading of AIDS or other diseases. Ultimately it is ones choice to do what they want with their body.
ReplyDeleteIf it was legalized would you pay taxes since it's you job? Is there a standard price for whatever service(s) is performed ? Just wondering how do we approach that.
I agree, and believe that prostitution should be legal. I think there are many jobs in the US that could be defined as jobs that you sell your body, that are not classified as prostitution. It could be argued that medical trials where people are paid to take new medication could be classified as the selling of bodies, along with modeling.
ReplyDelete