Prostitution

The anti-prostitution laws are one of many I consider to be a law based on morality alone that needs to be abolished. Laws prohibiting prostitution encourage all the negative aspects of prostitution such as abuse by customers, women being forced into prostitution, and much more. I think every feminist should be for legal prostitution. If prostitution were legalized and regulated crime would decrease, and prostitutes could work in a safer environment. Let’s face it the laws prohibiting prostitution have done nothing to slow down the sex trade, and there is nothing inherently wrong with prostitution except on a morality standpoint.

Under the current laws what can a prostitute do if their customer, or their pimp abuses them? If they go to the police they are charged with prostitution, if they take matters into their own hands they run the risk of an assault charge and a prostitution charge. And what about a “John”, if he or she is robbed or assaulted by a prostitute or someone posing as a prostitute, they have no repercussions either. A law allowing prostitution and regulating prostitutes would make the industry much safer.

The only non-moral issue around the prostitution laws, the most commonly cited one supporting keeping prostitution illegal, is sexually transmitted diseases. Both Nevada and the Netherlands have legalized and regulated prostitution, and in both places STD rates among prostitutes are incredibly low. If you issue prostitutes licenses and force them to use condoms or lose their license they will most likely comply, especially if you offer them free or extremely discounted rates for condoms.

Besides all of these reasons there is another less obvious reason to legalize prostitution. We already allow people to have sex in exchange for money on a small scale, the pornography industry. The only difference between porn actors and prostitutes all parties are being paid for sex, not just one.

How would it actually work?

A prostitute would have to apply for a license to prostitute. A full medical checkup would have to be done and if the applicant were free of STD’s then a license would be provided at a fee, high enough to make it worthwhile. If a brothel wishes to apply for a site license that could be allowed as well as long as all girls are certified and licensed, perhaps offering a lower priced license for brothel workers. All customers would have to pay regular sales tax plus a luxury tax in addition to the prostitute’s fees. This luxury tax could go immediately into the health care system allowing the sex industry to pay for the additional expense on the health care industry. Also all prostitutes would be contributing income tax on the amount they earn bringing in even more funds.

Legalizing prostitution is not only logical from an amoralist standpoint but also from an economic one.