by Adrian Hutchins

Created on: June 07, 2011

Should what is referred to as the oldest profession be legalized?

Yes, and not a timid “Yes”, a resounding and an unambiguous affirmative “YES!”

If we look at the arguments against the legalization of prostitution, we can see the reasons why it is currently illegal in most areas of the world today:

“It promotes the spread of STDs!”, “It degrades women!”, “It promotes violence against women”, “The sex workers are exploited by organized crime”, “It will increase the human trafficking and slavery of women, especially children”, “It will help increase the divorce rate” and so on.

First and foremost, the argument that prostitution helps increase the spread of STDs is a 30 year old objection that cannot be borne factually by any recent statistics. The majority of all professional prostitutes, even where the profession is illegal, will insist that the client wear a condom, and here in the United States, in Nevada, the only state so far to have legalized prostitution, the workers must undergo weekly health checks and monthly AIDS screenings.  The figures are out there, teenage sex continues to be the highest transmitter of STDs (due to lax and inadequate sex-education efforts, but that’s another debate).

As for the degradation of women, I cannot speak to this, not being a woman, but I can tell you that in the past, I have degraded myself for a paycheck in one form or another. If a woman does or does not want to be thought of as a sex object, then she should be free to enter or not to enter this profession.

Promoting violence against women is one of the arguments against the legalization of prostitution that truly makes me roll my eyes. If these women were involved in a legal profession, they would have much better legal recourse than they would today! One of the chief factors of violence against sex workers is from the pimps that are their main “protection”.  Again… look at the Nevada brothels. Those girls look safer than 98% of any type of non-governmental worker.

Exploitation by organized crime will continue… WHILE IT’S ILLEGAL! I am not sure how clearer this point can be made. Will organized crime continue to be behind legalized brothels? Perhaps. But their influence would be greatly blunted if everything was above board… 1920’s alcohol prohibition ring any bells?

Human trafficking and slavery are unarguably,

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