Discuss the debate over legalization and decriminalization of prostitution

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In simple terms, the result of legalization of prostitution would be similar to the current system of brothels in Nevada, where prostitution is limited and controlled by the state and violation of state limits and controls, such as health, safety, and financial statutes, may be criminal offenses. Decriminalization of prostitution would remove all criminal laws relating to prostitution and equate the sex trade with any other commerce that a person chooses to pursue, as long as it adheres to the same laws governing all legal business practices.

Those in favor of the decriminalization or legalization of prostitution contend that doing so would:
- Reduce or eliminate the rampant victimization of prostitutes by pimps, johns, and the other criminal elements now associated with prostitution.
- Help control STIs (among prostitutes and the general public) by requiring sex workers to obtain regular checkups and health certificates.
- Remove many prostitutes from street work and allow them to work in a safe, controlled environment.
- Redirect more of our limited law enforcement resources into fighting other, more serious crimes.
- Eliminate the profit motive in human trafficking and much of the motivation for pimps to addict young women (and men) to drugs in order to force them into prostitution.
- Eradicate a significant source of income for criminal networks.
- Allow governments to receive tax benefits from the regulation of sex trade businesses.

The other side of the debate contends that legal prostitution:
- Has increased trafficking and victimization of children because illegal sex trade activities can be concealed behind the legal ones.
- Is predominantly violent, not truly consensual, and invariably victimizes, exploits, and injures girls and women in countless ways.
- Forces women to prostitute themselves as a last resort for economic survival.
- Leads to physical illness (such as multiple STIs and drug addiction) as well as psychological harm (especially posttraumatic stress disorder).
- Is, in reality, a form of "paid rape."
- Is fundamentally immoral, and removing it from our criminal laws would be a move in the wrong direction for society and could lead to a rampant sex industry in the United States, victimizing even more girls and women.