The Legalization of Prostitution

Prostitution, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money. This line of work has been argued over for many years in order to decide whether or not it should become legalized. These arguments about prostitution have led it to become a widely spread controversial topic. Prostitution is considered to be religiously unethical, against moral integrity, and it encourages human trafficking. However, it should be legalized because it is a human’s right to control their own body, it gives the government more control over the sex industry, and it provides a service that has the ability to bring in a large tax revenue.

First off, let’s clear up any of the stereotypes that are involved with the title of “sex worker.” The most common misconception about prostitutes is that they are all women. In fact, this profession, even though it is dominated by women, has men that participate and give their sexual services to women. Another mislead belief if that all members involved in sex work or heterosexual. Gays, lesbians, and even transgendered people work in the sex industry. Most people also believe that prostitutes are drug addicted whores. This, of course, isn’t true. Most of the sex workers are not drug addicts, there is nothing to say that would propose that the dependency the sex workers have on drugs is any different from the rest of the population. However, one of the biggest stereotypes on sex workers is that they are poor, uneducated citizens that come from the lower part of our social classes. This is, in no means, true. In fact, there was a doctor, Dr. Brooke Magnanti, who was, whole studying to become a research scientist, working as a sex worker...

... middle of paper ...

...s a proposal in Nevada that would create a five dollar tax on any acts of prostitution in the states. The estimate outcome of this levy was to be about two million dollars a year! Image if the levy would have been passed. If the industry, with the tax, was opened and legalized in other states, that number would increase by a lot. It would bring in a large revenue to our very needy national budget (Smerconish C1).

Works Cited

Choi, Christy. "To Fully Legalize the Profession or Not--It's a Dilemma." South China Morning

Post 21 Aug 2011: A4.

Maginn, Paul, and Graham Ellison. "Criminalizing Sex Work Does More Harm Than Good."

Belfast Telegraph 16 Jan 2013: 29.

Smerconish, Michael. "Legal Prostitution a Boon." Philadelphia Inquirer 27 Feb 2011: C1.

Yingwana, Ntokozo. "Decriminalization of Sex Work Is Only Way to Ensure Win-Win

Outcome." Cape Times 12 Apr 2012: 11.