Should Prostitution Be Legalized in the US?

Should Prostitution be Legalized in the US?

There is no doubt that prostitution is one of the planet's oldest professions. Likewise, prostitution the profession's prohibitory laws can serve as an instance of state sex discrimination and federal regulation. The United States has freedom as one of its core pillars. Therefore, such restrictive and regulatory laws are inappropriate as they infringe basic liberties and rights of the involved parties (Sullivan, 2010). Worth noticing is the fact that most people from authoritarian regimes seek asylum or in the land of the free to enjoy freedom in a civilized society. The existence of restrictive laws for prostitution activities is adding an insult to an injury for those that seek refuge in the US. The paper argues for full legalization of prostitution as a profession in the US soil under all circumstances.

Studies indicate that more than a million of the United States' female population engages in full-time prostitution as a means of making ends meet. Besides, a sixth of American men are willing prostitute clients over the past few years (O'Neill, 2013). This demonstrates the extent in which prostitution is deeply rooted in our society not as a shadowy profession but as a trade and an economic lifeline. Thus, a US imposition of a ban by US government will be going against the will of many. Launching a never ending battle on moral grounds will be a waste of taxpayers' resources for an unjust cause that lacks the support of the union's majority. It is absolutely senseless for the government to claim that a fee should not be charged for harmless services people give away at their pleasure, liberty, and/or peril. It is because of such reasons that prostitution should be legalized.

Authorities in Los Angles alone spend up to 100 million dollars annually to control illegal prostitution. If prostitution is legalized, the funding can be redirected elsewhere to improve service delivery within the city (McCollister et al., 2010). Most legal experts argue that prostitution often thrives in crime hotspots. Such coincidence overburdens the courthouses and law enforcers. Adding prostitution to a list of offenses in areas of high crime rates increases the chances of success of real criminal activities (Best, 2012). Legalizing prostitution would ensure that police shifts their focus on elimination of real crimes such as rape, murder, and armed robbery. Latest studies estimate a decrease of 25% in rape rates especially if prostitution is made legal. This slashes rape cases by more than 25000 annually (Weitzer, 2011)

Legalization of prostitution should be accompanied by constant regulatory policies to ensure client and prostitute safety. The illegality of this profession has pushed it to the streets thus increasing the risk of danger to the involved parties. Sociopaths and serial killers often target nightshift prostitutes to commit their erroneous acts. If prostitution is allowed in particular designated areas like red-light districts and brothels, safety will be ensured (Jeffreys, 2010). More than half of the prostitutes in areas where the profession is illegal (for example New York and Washington) test positive for HIV virus. On the other hand, only a few, if any, of the state-licensed prostitute in Nevada ‘Free Market' are infected with the deadly disease. Regulation of Nevada brothels mandates regular blood test administration to prostitutes. As the legalized brothels compete to provide safe services to clients, the spread of deadly diseases is contained. This makes it imperative for prostitution to be legalized in the country (Krawiec, 2010). 

It is clear that prostitution legalization case is overwhelming. There is an obvious violation of individual rights of US citizen through government prohibitory measures. The undertaking also depletes taxpayers' money resulting in a growing economic burden. Therefore, there is a need for a prompt and radical overhaul of policies regulating prostitution activities to ensure a positive mutual benefit to parties involved and the state.

References

Best, J. (2012). Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists. Oakland: Univ of California Press.

Jeffreys, S. (2010). “Brothels without Walls”: the Escort Sector as a Problem for the Legalization of Prostitution. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, jxq005.

Krawiec, K. D. (2010). A Woman's Worth. North Carolina Law Review, 88, 102.

McCollister, K. E., French, M. T., & Fang, H. (2010). The cost of crime to society: New crime-specific estimates for policy and program evaluation. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 108(1), 98-109.

O'neill, M. (2013). Prostitution and Feminism: Towards a Politics of Feeling. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Sullivan, B. (2010). When (some) prostitution is legal: the impact of law reform on sex work in Australia. Journal of Law and Society, 37(1), 85-104.

Weitzer, R. (2011). Legalizing prostitution: From Illicit vice to Lawful Business. New York:  NYU Press.