Legalization of Prostitution

I believe for many reasons that prostitution should be illegal, one of those being it is immoral, it is not a victim-less crime, it will aid in the spreading of HIV (or other sexual transmitted diseases, and finally it is demeaning to women in a society where they are already discriminated against. Prostitution is immoral: 'One reason often given as to why prostitution is immoral is that it tends to involve coercion. In most cases, people do not freely decide to become prostitutes. In some cases, they are driven to the profession by desperation and a lack of other opportunities for employment. In other cases, they are forced into prostitution by others. In some cases, people are enslaved and forced to be prostitutes. For those who are unaware of this fact, slavery (both relating to prostitution and other forms) is alive and well around the world today.' Some argue that women choose to be prostitutes, and this is simply not true women who are prostitutes are coerced into it by someone, or forced into it because of an unfortunate economic situation. It also says something that all of the world's major religions are against it... Prostitution is not a victimless crime: 'Melissa Farley, PhD of Prostitution Research & Education, argues that prostitution is hardly a victimless crime. In her "Prostitution: Fact sheet on Human Rights Violations" Farley says that prostitution is sexual harassment, rape, battering, verbal abuse, domestic violence, a racist practice, a violation of human rights, childhood sexual abuse, a consequence of male domination of women and a means of maintaining male domination of women."All prostitution causes harm to women," Farley writes. "Whether it is being sold by one's family to a brothel, or whether it is being sexually abused in one's family, running away from home, and then being pimped by one's boyfriend, or whether one is in college and needs to pay for next semester's tuition and one works at a strip club behind glass where men never actually touch you " all these forms of prostitution hurt the women in it." Prostitutes Are Biggest Victims To believe prostitution has no victims, one must ignore these statistics published in Farley's Fact Sheet: -78 percent of 55 women who sought help from the Council for Prostitution Alternatives in 1991 reported being raped an average of 16 times a year by pimps, and were raped 33 times a year by johns. -62 percent reported having been raped in prostitution. -73 percent reported having experienced physical assault in prostitution. -72 percent were currently or formerly homeless. -92 percent stated that they wanted to escape prostitution immediately. -83 percent of prostitutes are victims of assault with a weapon. -75 percent of women in escort prostitution had attempted suicide. -67 percent meet diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prevalence of Incest' It will aid in the spreading of HIV (and other sexually transmitted diseases): This one is pretty self explanatory, if a prostitute has HIV and they do not use a protection during intercourse they will spread their HIV to that person, who will spread it to their partner and will spread it to other prostitues, who will spread it to more and more people. Pretty soon it will be a full blown epidemic. It is demeaning to women: It is completely inapropriate, and is unacceptable to sell women's bodies when women already get paid 77 cents to 1 dollar of men's work. We do not need this further degrading them, and portraying them as men's property.