Should We Legalize Prostitution?

In an online interview, twenty-three year old prostitute Angel described the horrors of her life as a sex worker (Bates). She says,”We choose this life because no one wants to hire a dumb girl or a girl with a record. But when you have babies and are offered $1500 a night, you take it. Most of us just don’t realize that you can’t get out when we take that money.” At only 15, after having her first child, Angel turned to prostitution because it was the quickest way to provide for her child. At the age of twenty, she attempted to escape the business after her co-worker was murdered by her pimp, and no action was taken. In recalling the incident, Angel told the reporter,”I’ve seen horrible things, but we know not to go to the police because …show more content…
Some cultures and religions believe prostitution is wrong because they believe that people should only have sex with people that they are married to. While this belief may be slightly less popular today, it still holds a valid point. Sex should be sacred, not something payed for by the night. In addition to moral dilemmas, there is not enough evidence to prove that legalizing prostitution will lower sex trafficking and drug abuse rates. While Australia and Germany have seen many positives since legalizing prostitution, they have also seen a few negatives. The amount of sex workers has increased by over 25%, and prostitution has become much more public in areas such as Amsterdam (Weitzer). So while legalizing prostitution is an idea inspired by good intentions, there simply isn’t enough evidence to predict how America would react. And in the end, do we as a country really want to condone selling …show more content…
No one grows up aspiring to sell their body, and the majority of the population most likely wishes that prostitution could be eradicated completely. However, after hundreds of years of attempts to rid the world of prostitution, no success has been seen thus far. Simply put, regardless of whether or not it’s legal, prostitution will continue. By keeping prostitution illegal, America has created an environment in which sex workers are subjected to violence, disease, and ridicule. By legalizing prostitution, sex workers and their clients will be safer, healthier, and happier, as proven in countries that have recently made adult sex work legal (Haltiwanger ). Also, the country will benefit economically from the tax revenue produced by sex worker’s salaries and brothels. Prostitution is a victimless crime, meaning that no one is supposed to be affected negatively. If the United States legalized prostitution, we could uphold that