Prostitution should be legalized in the United States

I will affirm that "prostitution should be legalized in the United States." The basis of my affirmation will be negative rights and objecting moral law; I argue that in a democratic society, there is no reason other than a subjective moral one for prostitution to be illegal. As such, making prostitution illegal on the basis of these subjective moral beliefs creates a moral law which violates the liberty of individuals who may not, or outright do not adhere to the same moral principles. To begin, I offer the following definitions for the clarity of my opponent and potential voters; 1. Prostitution: The act of exchanging sexual services for monetary gain. 2. Should: A pragmatic obligation. 3. Legalized: An acceptable practice under the law free from prosecution by a governing body. I will present two arguments to warrant a vote for the pro here, and two more in the next round. I encourage readers to consider them and weight them under a paradigm of comparative advantage against any arguments my opponent may present. If at the end of the round my arguments seem to advocate a more advantageous world, I encourage you then to vote for the Pro. 1. Moral Liberty is the issue of discussion- My opponent may argue otherwise, however so far as the current writer can see the only purpose behind prostitution's illegality is one of moral scrutiny. Generally our society sees the act of prostitution as a dirty, immoral action and have accordingly made the act illegal in most places throughout the U.S. This is the case with most, if not all sexual taboos; a few find a specific act detestable and make laws to prohibit others from doing such. With prostitution specifically, the moral division is not one which is shared in all parts of the world. It is instead an influence of America's Judeo-Christian culture, which discourages non vanilla sex. The Devadasi of south India actually sell their daughters to Hindu temples to serve as prostitutes[1]; They are looked up to as members of the high class, and seen as sex symbols. Even with the practice of prostitution was outlawed in 1947, these laws were not enforced due to the beliefs of Hindu society. [1] goo.gl/OasIO 2. Legality in the status quo- Currently, open prostitution is illegal in all but 1 state in the U.S.; that being Nevada. However even there prostitution is only legal within a limited sphere; there exist 28 registered brothels where prostitution is legal[2], outside these establishments one may be penalized for the aforementioned act. In North America, the United States is the only country (exempting Nevada) where prostitution is illegal. Both Canada[3] and Mexico have legalized prostitution; this has resulted in greater safety for Canadian prostitutes, who now have the ability to hire personnel to protect them, and protect themselves from sex-trafficking; this has unfortunately not been the case in Mexico were despite having legalized prostitution, or better stated made no legislation to address the issue. It is still considered largely an underground business due to the laws quite simply not being clearly defined. Unlike Canada who has openly addressed the issue of prostitution's legality in regards to liberty and safety, Mexico has largely ignored the issue. [2] goo.gl/roUlq [3] goo.gl/U6bPZ [4] goo.gl/jeSJm Conclusion- Religious and social dogma is the only cause of prostitution being illegal in the United States; accordingly the argument moral liberty must be considered. We musn't make law based solely on personal belief. Furthermore, by finally taking the jump to fully legalize prostitution in the United States, it would stand to reason that prostitution in Mexico would be influence to change for the better. Lawmakers of Mexico would be spurred to address the issue of prostitution and set clearer guidelines. Finally, any opposing arguments which deal with potential negative impacts of prostitution should be disregarded as an appeal to fear. Vote logically, not fearfully.