Prostitution

Rebuttals 1. STD "Even if a prostitute is being tested every week for HIV, she will test negative for at least the first 4-6 weeks and possibly the first 12 weeks after being infected.... This means that while the test is becoming positive and the results are becoming known, that prostitute may expose up to 630 clients to HIV. This is under the best of circumstances with testing every week and a four-week window period. It also assumes that the prostitute will quit working as soon as he or she finds out the test is HIV positive, which is highly unlikely." There are 19 legal brothels in the United States, all of which are in rural counties in Nevada [1]. They have restrictions and are government regulated. In brothels in Nevada, it is a requirement for sex workers to be tested and verified as healthy. Afterwards, they are required to be checked on a weekly and/or monthly basis for certain STDs. Condom usage is also mandatory and this is advertised by the brothels so that customers know beforehand. Finally, sex workers are able to examine the customers before any services are given to make sure there are no signs of visible STIs. If there are any suspicions, the worker is allowed to refund the customer and refuse service. Barbara Brents and Kathryn Hausbeck state in their study that the legalization of prostitution in Nevada's brothels allows for improved regulation and protection for both businesses and workers [2]. 2. Not a Legitimate Business "One needs to completely rid oneself of the voracity for cash to see that prostitution, although legalized, can never be a legitimate business because it will always be associated with crime, corruption, class, mass sexual exploitation and human trafficking." Criminalizing prostitution, however, makes it worse. Sex workers will have to rely on their pimps to keep them safe and secure but they cannot be fully trusted. “Sex work is legitimate work and problems within the industry are not inherent in the work itself. It is vulnerability, not sex work, which creates victims. Sex workers should enjoy the same labor rights as other workers and the same human rights as other people.” [3].The problem is the environment the sex worker works in. Legalizing prostitution will offer opportunities for sex workers to work in a safer environment like brothels that give both the customer and the prostitute protection, security and a pleasurable time. 3. Violence "Regardless of prostitution's status (legal, illegal or decriminalized) or its physical location (strip club, massage parlor, street, escort/home/hotel), prostitution is extremely dangerous for women. Homicide is a frequent cause of death.... It is a cruel lie to suggest that decriminalization or legalization will protect anyone in prostitution. It is not possible to protect someone whose source of income exposes them to the likelihood of being raped on average once a week." Brents and Hausbeck's case study of Nevada's brothels entailed examples of how they believe protection mechanisms were designed to account for the entire process of each individual. They started by saying that the negotiation process for sex workers in Nevada requires the use of an intercom during the process so that workers will not betray the business owners and so that owners can know if the customers are putting the workers at risk. After the price is negotiated, the money is paid and taken out of the room by the sex worker. At that point, the sex workers have the opportunity to let security guards know if there is anything unsafe or uncomfortable about the situation so that security can be alerted. Another protection mechanism requires security to interrupt the workers after the allotted period of time to demand that the customers either leave or renegotiate the price, so that sex workers are not coerced or forced into providing additional services without a fee. Finally, the study concludes that sex workers are offered protection from one another in brothels because of strictly enforced rules and the relationships that brothels have been able to build with local law enforcement officials [2]. According to some legalization supporters, this protection creates an environment that can be empowering for women to work in. 4. “How does legalizing something make it safer? Just because it's legal, prostitutes won't completely change to a safer and more professional way. Prostitution is a dangerous job(if it can even be called a job) and that will never change. Anything that has to do with sex and money will result in disgusting circumstances.” If prostitution is legalized, sex workers can work in brothels rather than relying on their pimps for security and protection. Prostitution is a dangerous job if it is not legalized. They will be more prone to rape, murder, STDs and human trafficking if they don’t work in a brothel. Legalizing prostitution will offer sex workers rights, a safer and secure environment like brothels, fair wages, and the government will also earn more tax money. 5. “All prostitution is harmful. Making something legal doesn't magically make it safe. Legalizing it will not by any means give women rights because that is exactly the opposite of what prostitution is. Prostitution is women selling themselves to men for sex. That is a women giving up their rights so they can get money ( usually used to buy drugs ).” Again, prostitution is less harmful if it is legalized. I would also argue that men and women have the right to their body, so sex workers are not giving up there rights and you also don’t have any evidence of prostitutes using their salary to buy drugs. Since Con did not rebut most of my arguments I shall extend them. Sources [1] http://www.thelasvegascourtesan.com... [2] Brents, Barbara G. and Hausbeck, Kathryn. "Violence and Legalized Prostitution in Nevada: Examining Safety, Risk and Prostitution Policy". Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2005 [3] Ana Lopes, PhD, President of Britain's General Union (GMB) Sex Workers Branch "Stigmatising Sex Workers" in the Chartist, Mar. 2006