Prostitution should be decriminalized in the United States

I apologize for not getting back to you in a timely manner, I’m new to this website and assumed I would get an email update about messages in the same way I do for debate updates. I’ll have to remember to check back in more frequently! Anyhow, on with the debate! I’m organizing this argument in terms of the people who are working as prostitutes and the impact that different forms of legislation have on them, partly because when considering this topic, people have different go-to images of who a prostitute is and why they are doing what they do, and I think this has an enormous impact on how they look at legislation and which consequences they are thinking about while doing so. As there is not enough room, this round I will post arguments for prostitution in general from the perspective of consenting adults who wish to work as prostitutes, and next round I will address those who are harmed by the industry. Final round I will post arguments in terms of benefis for the general public (a third party) and philosophical considerations. Con may choose to use a similar organization or not, whatever seems appropriate. From this point on I refer to them as sex workers, because it’s my opinion that the term prostitute carries more emotional baggage, stereotypes and associated ideas that are not helpful in a debate. I will also generally refer to them as women, as the majority of sex workers are women and the issues that accompany the work impact them more greatly than their male counterparts. v Impact on those who choose to be sex workers Why people choose to be sex workers People choose to be sex workers for a variety of reasons. These include personal choice and interest in the profession, as well as financial pressures that make people turn to prostitution when they normally would have not. While there are absolutely those who enter the trade by choice, and they deserve the right to do their work, there are a sizeable amount (maybe a majority) who turn to it due to financial pressures, and it is those people we should be most concerned about and consider most how legislation impacts them. Health and Wellness Ø Safety Because they cannot go to police to report rape, abuse (by a pimp for example), or assault, sex workers are put in an inherently vulnerable position. This creates a situation where clients, pimps, and other parties can feel free to abuse them with no fear of punishment or legal action. One survey found that only approximately 34% of sex workers that had been assaulted by clients reported it to the police. As expected by this dynamic, available evidence suggests decriminalization results in a decrease in violence surrounding involved parties (Cunningham). Ø Emotional health Many groups propagate an “oppression model” of prostitution, emphasizing oppression, abuse, drug addiction, emotional harm, and negative things that are associated with street workers. Indoor sex work, including brothels, call girls, escorts, and others, generally does not have these issues. I don’t intend to be lazy, but I don’t think it’s possible for me to put it more clearly or concisely than this: “A study … found no differences between [indoor sex working- and non-sex-working women] in physical health, self-esteem, mental health, or the quality of their social networks. Some prostitutes feel validated and empowered by their work. In some studies, a large percentage of indoor workers report and increase in self-esteem after they began working in prostitution, state that they are very satisfied with their work, or feel that their lives improved after entering prostitution. Escorts … took pride in their work and viewed themselves as morally superior to others: “They consider women who are not ‘in the life’ to be throwing away women’s major source of power and control, while they as prostitutes are using it to their own advantage as well as for the benefit of society.” … Anne Lucas’s interviews with escorts and call girls revealed that these women had the “financial, social, and emotional wherewithal to structure their work largely in ways that suited them and provided … the ability to maintain healthy sel-images.” Other studies indicate that such control over working conditions greatly enhances overall job satisfaction among these workers. [The paper contrasts the mechanical and emotionless sex of street work with the emotion-work and ‘girlfriend experience’ of indoor prostitution]. … In sum, prostitution takes diverse forms and exists under varying conditions, a complexity that contradicts popular myths and generalizations. Plenty of evidence contradicts the notion that prostitutes, across the board, are coerced into the sex trade, lead lives of misery, experience high levels of victimization, and want to be rescued. These patterns characterize one segment of the trade, but they are not the defining features of prostitution.” Summary: While outdoor sex work tend to be harmful and unpleasant, indoor sex work is the polar opposite, and it appears that sex work in and of itself does not, despite popular misconception, cause any harm. (Weitzer) Stigma, however, can cause harm. The stigma surrounding sex workers that is supported or exacerbated by its criminalization has the potential to negatively affect the emotional health of workers. Ø Sexual health and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) In contrast to areas where the sex trade is criminalized, where it is decriminalized there are social and health services available to offer sex workers. In a comparison of cities in Australia, where decriminalized, more workers reported making use of a health center for safer-sex training and information and more had access to free condoms than the city where it was criminalized (Harcourt). In California and New York, carrying a condom on your person can be used as evidence in a court of law that you had an intent to commit prostitution. In other states, sex workers report not carrying condoms for fear of police harassment (Wurth). As you might expect, this discourages sex workers from using contraception. With the pressures to avoid carrying condoms combined with the increased availability of them, and of safer-sex education, issues of STIs in the sex industry should decrease exponentially.Sources: Cunningham, Scott and Shaw, Manisha. Decriminalizing Prostitution: Surprising Implications for Sexual Violence and Public Health. August, 2013. http://economics.emory.edu... Weitzer, Ronals. Prostitution: Facts and Fictions. http://www.gwu.edu... Weitzer is a sociologist at George Washington University who specializes in criminology, police-minority relations, and the sex trade. Wurth, Margaret, H., et al. Condoms as evidence of prostitution in the United States and the criminalization of sex work. J Int AIDS Soc. 2013; 16(1): 10.7448/IAS.16.1.18626. Published online May 24, 2013. doi: 10.7448/IAS.16.1.18626. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...