In today's rapidly changing global social environment, and surges of support for feminism internationally the debate of legalizing prostitution has become more prevalent. Although feminists seem to be split on the topic there has been recent efforts for American legislators to re-look into the fight for legalization. The decriminalization of prostitution has positive effects on society by protecting women, creating healthier working environments, and economic benefits. The problem with fighting for legalization is the negative stigma surrounding the profession. Many people look at the surface of the issue and allow for their prejudice to take over before looking deeper into the issue. When an individual does take the time to do the research there are many interesting reasons to legalize prostitution that are often overlooked. 

To start, the history of prostitution itself is something that the majority of Americans have little understanding of. For the most part it is assumed that prostitution has always been illegal, but this is not the case. In fact, it was not until after the Civil War that laws are put into place to fight against prostitution in America. Many Americans saw prostitution as a “necessary evil” with large male populations moving west with very few females. (Carrasquillo, 701) It was not until the awarness and spread of STD’s became more prevalent that prostitution came to be illegal. With this, the negative stigma surrounding prostitution continued to grow to what it is today. 

To understand why prostitution should be legalized a person first needs to know why it is illegal to begin with. Along with this, it is also important to understand the goals of both sides when it comes to prostitution. People fighting to keep prostitution illegal believe that making it illegal will eventually lead to the total eradication of prostitution within society. Part of their argument that keeping prostitution illegal keeps a negative stigma surrounding it. Therefore, the negative stigma leads people away from prostitution who might otherwise become prostitutes. In addition prostitution continues to be illegal do to the fear of the spread of STD’s, its immorality, and the exploitation of women. Although these reasons can be argued against they still do represent valid reasons to keep prostitution illegal. Therefore, it is important to know both sides arguments when developing an opinion on the matter on which would be best for American society. 

First, the argument for prostitution leading to a dramatic increase in STD’s could only be possible if prostitution was not regulated. When legal prostitution is regulated it is often found that the spread of STD’s drops dramatically. This is because prostitutes are required to use protection and get checked for STD’s 3 times per month. These safe practices would greatly reduce the risk of both parties receiving and spreading these diseases. In fact, a study done by UCLA shows that there was over 2,000 less reported cases of gonorrhea during a 7 year span of legal indoor prostitution in Rhode Island. (Hong, 10) This study, and many like it show that when prostitution is done safely and responsible communities as a whole tend to see a drop in STD rates. Therefore, legalizing and regulating prostitution is commonly seen in medical circles as a common sense solution to decreasing high STD rates.

The second main argument in defense of keeping prostitution illegal is that it is demeaning to women, and that it increases rape culture within the United States. Many people with this view point see prostitutes as victims of unjust cultural norms that unequally and unfairly value a women more for her body then her abilities in a more traditional work place. People feel that if women can be legally exploited for their bodies men will be more inclined to rape them. This viewpoint is one that catches a lot of attention with an increased push in recent years against sexual violence, and making sure people speak up when they are abused. Studies find that 1 in 10 people are sexually assaulted in their lifetime, making it a very serious issue within our society. (LeTrent). Although this is a very alarmy viewpoint there are numbers to proves the opposite is true when it comes to legalization. In contrast to that viewpoint, is the idea that legalizing prostitution would cut forcible rape by up to 25% or 25,000 less rapes per year. In fact, a similar study to the one mentioned before by UCLA states that there was a drop in forcible rape by 31% or 824 fewer rapes when prostitution was legalized for a 7 year stretch. (Hong, 10) This study and other statistics similar to them done throughout the world show a common theme that prostitution leads to a decrease in rape. 

The third and most common argument is one that is the hardest to argue against. It's the simple fact that prostitution is wrong, and immoral. Although this viewpoint is one of varying personal opinion for each and every person the morality of it can still be debated. With that being said, the argument itself is if prostitution is moral or not, because in almost every circle it is considered to be immoral. But the argument stems from the libertarian side of things, and what exactly the government should and should not be allowed to control. Similar arguments on this are made in this then those who argue that abortion should be legal, because it is there body. Similarly, a person should be able to have the human right to do with their body as they please. And that the overreach by the United States government is an infringement on very basic human rights. Therefore, the moral argument is not one for saying that prostitution is moral, but by saying that it is legal, and the right of every individual to do what they want, with their body. 

With these arguments three main arguments against prostitution comes another interesting discussion point over if the legalization of prostitution decreases or increases human trafficking. The interesting part of this debate is there are statistics on both sides that say trafficking is either decreased or increased. Therefore, it is hard to say with certainty rather there's an increase or decrease. But in theory, especially economic theory, human trafficking would decrease dramatically. This is quite simply due to the substitution effect. The substitution effect is an economic principle that simply states if one thing is cheaper of equal value the consumer will purchase the cheaper product. This is also used to explain the change in consumer taste when things go from illegal to legal. A prime example of this, is in where states where marijuana has been legalized the demand for cigarettes has decreased. Many economist use this as an example for what happens with legalized prostitution. Instead of going to illegal brothels that traffick women, consumers will now go to legalized brothels that have voluntary sex workers. Therefore the demand for human trafficking decreases, and the supply decreases as well. Therefore, in theory legalization of prostitution decreases human trafficking and can potentially lead to the end of human trafficking. 

In addition to these arguments are the positive effects that prostitution has had on other countries who have legalized prostitution globally. One of the best examples of this is the legalization of the Netherlands. They did this by defining legal prostitution as voluntary, while keeping forced prostitution illegal. This continues the fight against illegal human trafficking and forcing women into the sex industry.  By doing this, the Dutch government put local governments in charge of making sure the brothels are being run safely and ethically. The brothels are checked regularly by people who have a very similar job to a restaurant inspector. Making sure the customers and employees are working in clean and safe work environments. These inspectors regularly check in on the brothels. In addition to this, nurses regularly visit the brothels to perform medical check ups on the employees. Although, unlike other places, workers are not forced to be tested for STD’s, but many are checked regularly by the nurses who come to the brothels. Other than just keeping the public safe by health regulation, the Netherlands laws are set up to view prostitutes incomes equal to another other profession. Therefore, they are eligible for unemployment if they decide to stop working as a prostitute, and are also allowed other social assistance. This gives prostitutes an option to stop selling their bodies, and gives them income while they look for other forms of work. This gives support to women who claim that prostitution is a never ending cycle they can not get out of due to their financial hardships. Although this model has many upsides many countries are not so quick to completely legalize prostitution. Therefore, they look for other solutions to solve the health, and economic problems imposed by illegal prostitution but continue to keep some morality. 

A prime example of another way to counteract prostitution would be to decriminalize prostitution. This is commonly referred to as the “Nordic Model” due to Sweden being the first to implement it and other Nordic countries like Norway following suit. Not only have just Nordic countries followed but also close U.S allies like the French who have recently adopted the  “Nordic model law adopted by this month which repealed existing laws that penalized prostitutes for soliciting in public.” (Glazer, 2) This is an interesting development because it was a rare case of changing prostitution from being legal to decriminalize. (Benner) This model is oftentimes seen as the best of both worlds, or at very least a fair compromise. This compromise is one that creates a safer world for sexer works while still enforcing laws against the profession. This has been done by making it illegal to buy sex, but legal to sell sex. This paradox creates a world where women are more comfortable to go to the police when they are abused. With abuse being one of the main problems for female sex workers it comes as a relief to many women who feel much safer going about their daily lives. In fact, Canada has joined the Nordic countries and adopted very similar policy. Their supreme court stated that “the government has the right to regulate prostitution but not at the cost of the health, safety and lives of prostitutes” (Carrasquillo, 704). This step forward, shows that the Canadian supreme court sees that illegal prostitution is not the best way to ensure the safety of its citizens. It is another example of just one of the 88 countries where prostitution is either legal or restricted. This shows that the world itself is evolving in a way that understands the dangerous lives of prostitutes, and is willing to set their stigmas aside to help them live better lives. In turn, creating better and more unified communities. 

With examples of legal prostitution being effective in every corner of the world the United States is still slow to take the necessary steps foward to protect some of its most vulnerable citizens. With this being said, one state has been effectively regulating prostitution since the 1970’s. The wording of the ruling passed by Nevada’s supreme court is that “it is unlawful for any person to engage in prostitution or solicitation therefore, except in a licensed house of prostitution.” (Goldman, 12)  Therefore, this ruling allows for indoor brothels to be legalized within Nevada. State laws were passed to continue to regulate this ruling such as saying that licensed brothels shall never be in a county that has a larger population than 400,000 people. Over the years and continued regulation Nevada has created one of the safer environments for prostitution in the world. Workers are tested weekly for smaller STD’s and monthly for STD’s like HIV. On top of this, clients are forced to wear protection to continue to promote public health. On top of its public health benefits, is the added revenue that Nevada brings in from the brothels. The majority of the money that comes directly to the government is in the form of selling these licenses to the brothels. In addition, in countries where these brothels are legal there is an additional amount of revenue coming from people visiting these brothels. On top of this is the employees of these brothels who claim that working here allows them to feel safe, and and enjoy a better lifestyle. (Reason.Tv) 

Other than Nevada, other places in the United States have made attempts to decriminalize prostitution as well. One place, would be Berkely, California. In 2004, they made a push to decriminalize in an effort to get prostitutes off the streets. Saying that decriminalization would eliminate the need for “pimps” who protect the prostitutes. This is because if prostitution was decriminalized the sex workers would not need protection from anyone other than the police. This in turn, would reduce the violence seen in certain Berkeley neighborhoods between certain rival pimps. With advocates for decriminalization saying “If the laws are done right, decriminalization is a better alternative because women can be their own boss”. (Marshall, 18)  To conclude, although it is not a hot topic in American politics there are multiple examples of American communities attempting to legalize the trade to better improve their communities. 

Even with all of the positives of legalizing prostitution the large majority of the United States is against legalization. This is in large part to the negative stigmas that surrounds prostitution, and a lack of understanding of the facts of prostitution. In addition, the current political climate is one where news is often conveyed to the public by headlines, and a majority of the public does not dig deeper into the issues. With the controversy surrounding these issues politicians are hesitant to voice their opinions on legalization. With fear of waking up to headlines claiming they support an industry that increases the sex trafficking of minors, which is shown to be untrue above. But with that being said, the American people are slowly evolving away from laws of morality, and heading towards laws of common sense. A prime example of this, would be the relatively recent ruling by the US Supreme court to allow same sex marriage. Although same sex marriage and prostitution are two very different things, they both are victimless crimes that are seen as “immoral” in the eyes of some. Although they have the right to this opinion, it is not the job of the government to decide what is right and wrong. It is the job of the government to protect the people from others, not to protect the people from themselves. With this slow evolution within American politics it should simply be a matter of time before the country wakes up and does what is right to protect a few, even if it makes others feel “uncomfortable”. 

In Conclusion, the world is rapidly developing and progressing and it is time for the United State to catch up. Over 88 countries worldwide have laws in place to protect the rights of prostitutes. These countries, ignore the morality of the cause and do what is right for its people. They do this because they understand that decriminalization of prostitution has positive effects on society by protecting women, creating healthier working environments, and economic benefits. With that, the counter arguments made against prostitution are often times illegitimate, and easy to counter. The statistical evidence is there and has been there for the majority of the past two decades. It is now simply time for the United States to act on it. 
