Legalizing Prostitution

As long as I am with a consenting adult (or three) I have every right to have sex with whomever I choose under whatever circumstances I choose, as often as I choose and for whatever reasons I choose. Including transactionally. And so should you. Now, I am quoting someone from an online debate forum I discovered while researching the issue of legalizing prostitution, however I found that I agree with what they are saying. Many people are not so easy to win over.

So I suppose I have to touch on the religious issue first. That seems to be the preliminary step that everyone takes in most current debates. So I say that this is a country that practices freedom of religion, therefore, those who chose to not follow any specific religion should not be governed by the ideals a religion that they themselves don’t believe in. That removes the religious issues...

Often people might raise the objection that many women (and men, they’re a part of this industry as well) are forced into prostitution through their drug and/or alcohol abuse. The simple fact of the matter is that the problem there is the drugs and alcohol, not the prostitution, and that would lead into a whole different argument... but, as one source wrote: “Frankly, I would rather addicts be involved in the prostitution industry than say... armed robbery, wouldn’t you?”

Next I suppose we come to child prostitution. I believe a quote from a prostitute sums this one up nicely: “Child Prostitution- I don't even really accept this term, because sex with a child is child abuse and should not be referred to as prostitution. There are plenty of laws which prohibit abuse and exploitation of children, and no legal status for or against transactional sex will affect this.” The same would apply for sex slaves, as our constitution has anti-slavery amendments.

For that matter, wouldn’t the legalization of prostitution decrease the burden on police forces and jails? If transactional sex was no longer illegal, police forces could devote their time to ferrreting out those illegal sex slaves and abused children.

Well, if we were to move on to one of the biggest issues people seem to have with prostitution, we would be discussing the issue of the degradation of women. Interestingly enough, my peers didn’t even seem to think of that one when I surveyed multiple people as to their beliefs. So is suppose it must not be that important... but I’ll get into it anyways. How is choosing how to use your body, and often making quite a deal of money doing so, less degrading than a lifetime of flipping burgers? How many people work for the pure joy of it?
“If there wasn’t any economic compulsion, very few people would work. The prostitute makes exactly the same decision that the stockbroker makes: I need money, I have these marketable skills, and so I'll sell the exercise of my talents. Who is to say which person's decision to work is coerced and which person's isn't?”
Every job has some form of degradation attached. No one enjoys having a boss or someone in charge of you, so why is prostitution really all that different from any other job?

Another issue frequently brought up is the degradation of American society from what our forefathers originally intended. Keep in mind that at the birth of our nation, brothels were rampant. Thomas Jefferson himself had several relations, and children, with his African American slaves. Prostitution was only made illegal about 100 years ago, most states banned prostitution from around 1910-1915. That time period should look familiar, its about the same time prohibition came into being. Look at how well that went...

Now, if one moves onto looking at prostitution from the moral standpoint, let me first point out that often a sense of morality comes from the ten commandments and religious beliefs, and due to the founding principles of our country, those can no longer play an active role. People will often say “but it’s just wrong, sex is meant to be between two people who love each other.” Who says that is the way it’s meant to be? I want to see a constitutional amendment that states that sex is meant to be between two people who love each other.

If that was an amendment then I would say the majority of this country is in big trouble with the government...

I end with this:
“Whenever there is a demand for a thing, a market will be created for it- and one has to ask oneself- is it government's business to do anything more than regulate it for safety?” Governments would be able to gain tax revenue, test and regulate the spreading of STD’s, and in one night, remove an entire “criminal” industry from burdening jails and police forces.

Who are we to say what you can and cannot do with your own body when it harms none but the petty sensibilities of the self righteous?

Why should any consensual act between adults be criminal?

Source: http://www.americasdebate.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10118