Question: Should prostitution be legal?

Prostitution Should Be Legal Making it illegal helps exploit those we should be protecting

Prostitution should be legalised I will be basing this argument from this former debate of mine as an opening argument . http://www.debate.org... === PRO ARGUMENTS === ECONOMIC BENEFITS: If Prostitution was legalised, the government could regulate it and tax it. It would create more revenue for the government through this. Furthermore, it would add another legal market to the economy and lead for a bigger economy for the nation which legalises it. The legalisation of Prostitution has benefited many countries which legalised it economically, and is a significant percentage of economic activity. "The prostitution industry accounts for 5% of the GDP of the Netherlands, between 1 and 3% of Japanese GDP and in 1998, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that prostitution accounted for between 2 and 14% of the total economic activity in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines" - . http://sisyphe.org... WORKER BENEFITS: The legalisation of prostitution would lead to better working conditions for prostitutes. The legalisation of prostitution has led to better health conditions in countries which legalise it, such as Senegal: "In Senegal, HIV prevalence among pregnant women has been below 1% for more than a decade. A strong multisectoral response, an effective STD control programme and early legalization of prostitution have been credited for this low level. Special clinical services, for example, offer regular examination and treatment for registered sex workers. Not only has there been a significant decline in STD rates among sex workers and pregnant women between 1991 and 1996, but genital ulcers are also no longer common and chancroid is reportedly rare. " - . http://www.liberator.net... This shows that when the sex industry is legalised and regulated, the workers within it are less prone to STD's than in the illegal sex industry. SOCIETAL BENEFITS: There is a general reduction in violence and criminal activities with the legalisation of prostitution, and a lower crime rates in accordance with the level of punishment given to prostitution. "It is unknown if there is a correlation between laws that prohibit sex and higher crime rates, but the reverse appears to be more enlightening. The countries where prostitution is legal do not suffer from a high number of violent crimes. " - . http://www.liberator.net... CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the legalisation of prostitution leads to a bigger economy, better conditions for workers, and generally a reduced crime rate.

Prostitution ought to be Legalized Intro: Society has labeled prostitution as dirty, loose-moraled, and outright wrong. This view, personally, has caught me my attention and has allowed me to ponder on the subject, which led me to the conclusion that contradicts the stigma. Prostitution is a job, and it is for a person if they wish to uphold that career for them. This is not a monolithic issue that should be debated all throughout, but a matter that can be easily resolved by acceptance and logic. Prostitution should be accepted and purged from its notoriety. I. Individual Autonomy Under the principle of individual autonomy, a person has the right to determine his actions upon himself, his thoughts over his actions, and his actions abiding his thoughts. No one shall proclaim a restriction or utter a coercion upon an individual who is rightfully exercising his right to bodily autonomy. It is then established that a person may do whatever he intends to do with his own body, whether or not there are, and he is aware of, potential harms attached to its action's consequences. Since he has consented himself to do so, he will automatically be holding the burden of responsibility of whatever harms he might face. If a person eats 200 cupcakes a day, no one shall take his freedom and happiness to do so; he may hold the burden of having diabetes after a year but the mere fact that he is considered as a consensual self deliberately negates any negative remarks on this matter. If a woman wishes to be a prostitute, she may do so. It is her right to her own body and nobody shall take that away from her. If somehow prostitution led to the transmission of more STDs, that would be up to the individual's decision. Nothing is entirely safe. And, they hold ultimate responsibility keeping that in mind and engaging it with their bodies, that is simply the matter's beauty and beast. II. Violation of Human Rights The duty of the government is to cater to the necessities of its people. One of the innumerable needs would be the protection of each and every individual's fundamental human rights. Imposing a massive restriction such as criminalizing prostitution is a testament of violation, an infringement to an essential tenet of human law and nature---the freedom of choice. Freedom and choice are two inseparable aspects of society. As justice, freedom, choice, protection, and speech are virtually imperative values that hold equally indistinguishable importance, it is the duty of the government to abide by the laws of man and nature and ultimately subject itself to catering to human rights protection. III. Morality Society's opinion against prostitution only holds for society's conservatives, not society as a whole. Libertarians may have different views far from conservatives, and that is the essence of morality. Its subjective nature allows us to characterize ourselves accordingly and allows us to deeply understand how morality should be accepted as. Moreover, there had been countless diversified opinions about prostitution throughout history, changing itself in people's eyes more often than it should, and that is the reality. So, in saying prostitutes are dirty is worse than assuming that the profession is. There is no such thing as absolute morality. It is subjective and always will be. IV. Jobless Rather than imposing restrictions, the government should improve the context of contractual agreements done between the customer and the brothels along with the prostitutes. If prostitution was criminalized, a massive shutdown of prostitution-driven businesses will take effect, uprooting several brothels with nothing, greatly rendering every prostitute as jobless. V. Taxes and Workload Rather than shutting down prostitution, the government could profit from maintaning and establishing legality of prostitution. While prostitutes practice their profession and rake in money, the government in support of this activity could generate revenue from collecting taxes. A positive-sum game takes place in this strategic arrangement. Also, rather than chasing down prostitutes and their workplaces, which is very tiring and awfully frivolous to do, the government can safeguard and ensure the protection of these individuals and organizations. There will be less workload for police and judicial systems, and more time, energy, and space for other notorious and havoc-wreaking crimes. Conclusion: I strongly stand for the legalization of prostitution. Under my arguments, prostitutes will be free to exercise their rights, can be protected by the state, shall be deemed as moral, and will not lose their jobs. Your turn.

Prostitution Should be Legalized Prostitution is an old job that employs many educated and uneducated people alike[2]. Yes, it is a job, by definition[4]. If prostitution were legal, more men and women would be able to have jobs they enjoyed[5]. Unfortunately, the sex-trade is unregulated. Prostitutes are often physically abused by their bosses[3]. If the profession were to be regulated, or at least recognized and offered legal protection from the government, they would be able to get help to end the abusive relationship, and hopefully never have a boss who would abuse in the first place, without getting themselves in trouble. Prostitution is legally considered a crime, which is why many women who want to quit their jobs because of this aforementioned abuse are afraid to do so[3]. However, it should not be a crime. The thought that it is illegal to systematically charge for something some people randomly give out for free is ridiculous. It should not hurt anyone, as all participating parties have consented. In fact, it is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year. While the spread of disease and other detriments are possible in the practice of prostitution, criminalization is a sure way of exacerbating rather than addressing such effects. We saw this quite clearly in the time of alcohol prohibition in this country[1]. If properly overseen, no one would be stolen from or financially, physically, or mentally damaged in any other way in prostitution. Things can"t get any better until people in this business can get equal rights. Sources: [1] http://www.history.com... [2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com... [3] http://www.womenslaw.org... [4] (From dictionary.com) a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price [5] "We chose sex work after we did a lot of things we couldn't stand. Sex work is better. For me, sex work isn't my first choice of paying work. It just happens to be the best alternative available. It's better than being president of someone else's corporation. It's better than being a secretary. It is the most honest work I know of." -Veronica Monet, Prostitute and Author, in Gauntlet Magazine, 1994 [6] http://prostitution.procon.org...

Prostitution Should be Legalized Prostitution is an old job that employs many educated and uneducated people alike[2]. Yes, it is a job, by definition[4]. If prostitution were legal, more men and women would be able to have jobs they enjoyed[5]. Unfortunately, the sex-trade is unregulated. Prostitutes are often physically abused by their bosses[3]. If the profession were to be regulated, or at least recognized and offered legal protection from the government, they would be able to get help to end the abusive relationship, and hopefully never have a boss who would abuse in the first place, without getting themselves in trouble. Prostitution is legally considered a crime, which is why many women who want to quit their jobs because of this aforementioned abuse are afraid to do so[3]. However, it should not be a crime. The thought that it is illegal to systematically charge for something some people randomly give out for free is ridiculous. It should not hurt anyone, as all participating parties have consented. In fact, it is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year. While the spread of disease and other detriments are possible in the practice of prostitution, criminalization is a sure way of exacerbating rather than addressing such effects. We saw this quite clearly in the time of alcohol prohibition in this country[1]. If properly overseen, no one would be stolen from or financially, physically, or mentally damaged in any other way in prostitution. Things can"t get any better until people in this business can get equal rights. Sources: [1] http://www.history.com...... [2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com...... [3] http://www.womenslaw.org...... [4] (From dictionary.com) a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price [5] "We chose sex work after we did a lot of things we couldn't stand. Sex work is better. For me, sex work isn't my first choice of paying work. It just happens to be the best alternative available. It's better than being president of someone else's corporation. It's better than being a secretary. It is the most honest work I know of." -Veronica Monet, Prostitute and Author, in Gauntlet Magazine, 1994 [6] http://prostitution.procon.org......

Prostitution should be legalized. Prostitution-the act of engaging in sexual activities for money. Legalized-Making it legal for persons over the age of 18 to be prostitutes or to "use" prostitutes at a federal level. However, prostitutes must be mandated to carry a license. Introuduction Currently, 49 states outlaw prostitution (Nevada is the only one that doesn't). As PRO I stand in affirmation that Prostitution should be legalized. I believe so for the following reasons. a) Prostitution is a victimless crime. No one is a victim of prosecution. It is not on the same level as rape or murder, where victims are involved. Prostitution is just a way of conducting commerce. To limit prosecution would be to limit freedom. b) Revenue. Legalizing prostitution would lead to a boost in the economy (not like were to going to come out of a recession or anything, but it will increase GDP). In countries where prostitution is legalized (Thailand, The Netherlands, etc) "sex tourism" is a big part of their economies. People use other services (hotels, restaurants) while using conducting "sex tourism". Also, the government could tax the the activity for a nice profit. c) The Equal Protection Clause is violated under the current law. In the current law only prostitutes are prosecuted, their customers are not. A similar analogy would be to only prosecute drug dealers and not drug users. It violates prostitutes' rights. d) Prostitution will become more visible. The more "openness" of prostitution will make it easier to monitor and regulate. I look forward to my opponent's rebuttals. Thanks for taking this debate.

Prostitution Should Be Legal Prostitution should be legalized. A bullet point list of reasons why; -Safer, cleaner services, which also cut down on incarceration and diseases -Less stigmas and taboos against sex, lust, and the human body -Economic boosts -Hurts the human trafficking trade -Improves overall happiness and decreases stress of the population

Prostitution Should Be Legal Prevent Prostitution From Going Underground

Prostitution should be legalized Prostitution's History Prostitution has been found in nearly every civilization on Earth stretching back throughout all recorded human history. wherever there have been money, goods, or services to be bartered, somebody has bartered them for sex. Prostitution underscores the concept of supply and demand, which may explain the longevity of this practice. as long as there are people in need of and willing to pay/ barter for the services provided by prostitutes, they will always exist to supply that demand. In essence the profession is here to stay. why it should be legalized Legalizing prostitution will allow it to be taxed and regulated, not only making the government money but also making it safer for thousands of women who are drawn to this profession. Taxation It is a fact that thousands of women, for whatever reasons have turn to prostitution at some point in their lives. This has allowed the practice to flourish and is a thriving estimated billion dollar a year business. A large percent of that money goes to the underground economy and is never taxed. if legalized government would be able to tax those incomes and profits and use those monies to not only develop communities but establish programmes to assists the prostitutes themselves. Regulations. Through legalization the government will be able to regulate the system. Regulations will allow the act to be managed instead of ignored and allow the government to work to prevent underground prostitution that occurs daily. Regulations would be able to curtail the number of teens that are swept up into prostitution every year by enforcing the age of consent and other rules. The regulations will also be able to affect all areas of prostitution such as health and safety and would establish guidelines and implement improvements. ultimately legalized, and regulated prostitution would transfer the power from pimps or organized crime rings to the government. Legalized Prostitution at work As seen in the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands where it is legal , the prostitutes are tax paying citizens and the government ensures that all prostitutes are able to access medical care and work in better conditions by regulating and monitoring working practices and standards. In turn the government enjoys the benefits of steady taxable revenues. (1) http://www.liberator.net... (2) http://www.amsterdam.info...

Prostitution should be legal due to it being a victim-free crime. Well must prostitutes use condoms will having sex. It reduces the risk of spreading sexual diseases and it allows the female to not become pregnant. If it would be legalized it would be strictly regulated. It would help raise millions of dollars in taxes annually, reduce sexual crimes, and help protect the public from sexually transmitted diseases. In Nevada where prostitution is legal they do testing on all the prostitutes yearly to make sure they dont have any diseases and legalizing it also helped Nevada reduce the amount of street prostitutes. To legalize prostitution states would have to be very strict but it could work out and help street prostitutes to be safer and healthier in their work of business.

Prostitution Should Be Legal Legalization of prostitution would open the doors for much more negativity than you may expect. When looking at the legality of prostitution in the United States, you cannot completely disregard the morality that comes with it. This idea makes STD/HPV viruses much more prone to happen. In fact, evidence from "laws.com" located underneath sex crimes, states that well over 50% of prostitutes have contracted a sexually transmitted disease, while simultaneously having unprotected sex over 300 times every single year. Not only will this be harmful to the prostitutes and the clients, but also anyone who also comes in contact with the said people. The idea of "it is prohibited by law and will always exist in society" is the same excuse as making methamphetamines legal because it always exists. When the law is broken and disrespected, there will be consequential time spent. We, as a human race all have the same opportunity to do whatever we want; be it legal or not. But when one decides to go against the law of the land, there will be negative repercussions. Making it legal because it already exists is ignorant and is almost a form of our government giving up. Furthermore, if the government were to endorse the sale of mostly women, and sometimes even men, they would be going on a downhill slope of regression. Decriminalizing prostitution and calling it safe is a mere illusion for women who endure physical and psychological trauma. In fact, all brothels do is move this abuse inside to mask the horror involved in being a prostitute. The public would be blinded by the systemic issues involved in this act. How could you endorse the spread of HPV, violence, abuse, and exploitation of these victims? How could you say that regulating prostitution would solve "forced prostitution and child trafficking"? Regardless, violence will take place in or out of a brothel and STD's will still swarm the area. If the prostitution industry is grossing over 52 billion dollars a year illegally (bbc.uk.com), just imagine what would happen if it were to be legalized? Generally, the idea of a hypothetical argument must go dismissed, but the numbers have spoken, and they have continued to repeat themselves. And finally, to assume that making prostitution legal would make it easier for women to report rape and sexual injustices, is absolute ignorance and disrespect to those who have fallen victim of sexual violence. The idea of reporting these cases is not easy, and regardless of the legality factor, most acts go unreported because they fear not of going to jail, but of their overall safety. Endorsing prostitution either means you support sexual violence and the spread of STD's or you are just unaware of the horrid activities contained within a brothel. You are blinded that making it legal, automatically makes it safe, but you ignore and disregard the fact that prostitution will never be safe. Thus, it should be illegal.

Prostitution should be legal View on prostitutes Opponents of legalization often depict prostitutes as helpless victims forced into prostitution at a young age. This view is exemplified by the column [5] that my opponent cites. I cite from that same article: “Prostitution turns women into lumps of meat that are bought and sold for the sexual gratification of men.” The author is disgusted by prostitution, and sees prostitutes as helpless, pathetic “lumps of meat”. Needless to say, that this is not how prostitutes would like to be seen. Most prostitutes chose their profession. The job usually earns them more money than any other job they can do. They often need money to pay for household expenses, or to pay for education etc. Making prostitution takes away their livelihood. To get an idea who these prostitutes are it is insightful to read the following survey of prostitutes in New Zealand. http://www.otago.ac.nz... 772 sex workers were interviewed. Some highlights: 73% of the prostitutes entered the profession for financial reasons. 82% of them were at least 18 when they entered the profession (contradicting the claim of my opponent that most of them entered the profession between 14 and 16), 3% has been raped by a client. 77.8% reported always using a condom. Prostitution is legal in New Zealand after the Prostitution Reform Act. Prostitutes have legal rights in NZ and they are well aware of it. The German experiment My opponent used his citation [8] for his argument that legalization in Germany did not work. This citation starts with: “Das Prostitutionsgesetz läuft weitgehend ins Leere, besagt die erste offizielle Studie über seine Wirkung. Schuld sei vor allem die Halbherzigkeit des Gesetzes.” My translation (the link for the Google translation did not work for me): “The prostitution law does not work, says the first official study about its effect. The primary reason is that the law is half-hearted.” So although the article says (in 2007, 5 years after the introduction of the law) that the law had not yet worked, it says that the main reason is that the law does not go far enough! The goal of the law was to recognize prostitution. 85.5% of the prostitutes welcomed the law as a first step towards recognition. Although prostitutes would like to work legally, they often decide not to do so, because local law officials stop them from doing so using local zoning laws. “Die Autorinnen empfehlen deshalb, die Entkriminalisierung der Prostitution weiter voranzutreiben. Sie raten vor allem, das Gewerbe mit einer Art Lizenz auszustatten. Diese sollten Betriebe und Huren erhalten, die gute Arbeitsbedingungen bieten und legal arbeiten.” My translation: The authors [of the study] recommend a continuation of the decriminalization of prostitution. In particular, they recommend the creation of some kind of license for the profession. These licenses will be given to brothels and hookers who work legally and have good working conditions. Risks of prostitution Prostitution, like some other professions such as law enforcement, fire fighter, is not without risks. But these risks easily can be exaggerated. My opponent goes on at length on the “risks of promiscuity”. The risk of STD’s can be reduced to a minimum by using condoms. Most prostitutes (77.8%) always use condoms, and the remaining prostitutes probably use them most of the time. Prostitutes (like fire fighters) should wear their protective gear to be safe at their jobs. The idea of legalization is to give licenses only to prostitutes who do their work safely. Prostitution and sex trafficking There is no convincing evidence that legalization of prostitution leads to an increase of sex trafficking. Illegal immigrants cannot practice prostitution legally, even after legalization of prostitution. The study [10] that my opponent cites is not very convincing. It is based on many assumptions and poor empirical data. They write: “As pointed out already, this means we cannot control for unobserved country heterogeneity. Also, while we have established that the legalized status of prostitution is associated with a higher incidence of trafficking inflows, a cross-sectional analysis cannot provide a conclusion as to whether legalizing prostitution would result in increased trafficking after legalization.” A lot of studies on the effect of legalization on sex trafficking has been done in countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark. These countries have legalized prostitution (although in these countries, prostitution was already decriminalized to an extend before complete legalization). These studies are in the early 2000s. However, it seems to me that these studies ignore major changes with regards to borders. Since the fall of the USSR, human trafficking has increased. Many countries in the European Union joined the Schengen agreement in the 2000s. This means, that many borders between European countries have been eliminated. It is not hard to imagine, that this is having a huge impact on trafficking. It is therefore not surprising to see, that there has been an influx of sex workers from Eastern European countries into the Netherlands and Germany. I think that the war in former Yugoslavia may also be a factor. There is no convincing evidence that the legalization of prostitution leads to more rapes, human trafficking, or child prostitution. Prostitution and crime If prostitution is illegal, then prostitution is crime. To decouple prostitution form criminal elements, we must legalize it. Also, both in countries with legalized and not legalized prostitution, prostitutes are often forced to do their work in bad neighborhoods with high crime rates. Prostitutes should be allowed to do their profession everywhere they want (indoors). Prostitution and drugs Although there may be a correlation between drug use and prostitution, there is no convincing evidence that prostitution causes drug use. Sometimes, people enter prostitution because of drug or alcohol use. According to the NZ survey, this was 21.4%. This is not a problem of prostitution, but of drug use. With regard to drug users going into prostitution there are two options: 1)Either, we believe they are unable to make good choices for themselves. In that case they should be locked up in a rehab institution until they are no longer a danger to themselves. 2)Or, we believe that they are able to make choices for themselves. In that case, we should not take away their livelihood.

Prostitution Should Be Legal Legalisation or Decrimilisation

Prostitution ought to be legalized “An unjust law is no law at all”- St. Augustine I opened this case with this quote from St. Augustine, which was later repeated by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, in order to begin to illustrate the nature of my affirmation of the resolved. This law that oppresses women by taking away their bodily autonomy clearly cannot be seen as a just law. To be perfectly clear, in supporting this resolution, it’s not that I want women to become prostitutes, but just that I understand prostitution to be an issue of personal choice, and I assume that women and people in general have the agency to make that decision for themselves. Now, while reading this debate, it is important to understand not only this, but also that despite the current illegality of prostitution, prostitution still happens to a large degree, and I sincerely doubt my opponent will deny this fact. So essentially, this debate should be seen with this question in mind- should people be punished for this action that they do anyway? C1. Self-Sovereignty From a fundamental standpoint, all major forms of government recognize the concept of rights within their legal systems, and at the most basic level exists the right to self-sovereignty- i. e. , the notion that we have ownership over our own bodies. In market economies, people have the right to sell or rent out their property, and to keep the exchange of sex for money illegal, to allow the government to forbid you from monetizing what you rightfully own, would be to claim that the government has more ownership over your body than you do, which is, frankly, insulting. Additionally, the fact that women are generally more likely to be prostitutes is something that we need to acknowledge here, because it means that laws prohibiting prostitution are essentially targeting women and depriving them of their self-sovereignty, therefore creating an unequal level of oppression as enforced by the government. To have this in place would seem fundamentally wrong if equality or empowerment of women is any sort of goal for society. C2. Reducing Rape While discussing the legality of prostitution, it is important to separate genuine negatives of prostitution from negatives caused by the prohibition thereof. For example, there is a problem with prostitutes being raped. So one might ask, why is this problem as bad as it is? Well, it is so bad because with the illegality of prostitution, it creates an incentive against reporting rapes. If you are doing something illegal, are you going to go to the police and say that you got raped and risk punishment for yourself? Though some might be willing to, the status quo heavily discourages it, therefore making it so the punishment for raping prostitutes is essentially moot, making it so the problem is exacerbated. In legalizing prostitution, we would, if not solve for the problem, actually be reducing the problem, making it a safer environment for the prostitutes. C3. Patriarchy and Rape Culture When taken together, the previous two contentions form the foundations for this one- patriarchy and rape culture. Just imagine- a world where old men in politics can decree what a woman can and can’t do with her own body, and where that leads to them not reporting rapes. It’s not too hard to imagine, because that’s what we currently have with prostitution being illegal. Making prostitution legal removes both of those problems, and therefore reduces the problems of patriarchy and rape culture. C4. Reducing the Spread of STDS Additionally, we can solve for a few other issues of safety if prostitution is legalized, both for the prostitutes and for the consumers. Currently, prostitutes face a dangerous work environment. They are working with pimps who beat and abuse them, and selling to customers without knowing whether or not the customer has an STD. A government cannot regulate something that is illegal, so we must legalize it and regulate it so prostitutes can actually experience the benefits of a safe work environment, as any human being should. The logic from C2 extends here, insofar as if a pimp is abusive, it is difficult for the prostitute to report it under the status quo of illegality without fear of being punished, which only allows the problem to persist. Legalizing solves for that, and also adds potential for regulations that create a safer work environment. Regulations can also insure for STD checks and awareness, making it safer for both the prostitute and the customer. C5. Political/Economic Costs Currently, prostitution only represents a cost to society. Police efforts are spent on catching prostitutes, while no tax revenue is being brought in from the industry. If prostitution were legalized, police efforts wouldn’t be spent on stopping it, which removes that cost, and the prostitutes would be paying taxes, which adds a benefit, as this tax revenue could go towards things like education or healthcare. From an economic standpoint, legalizing prostitution makes sense. C6. Female Empowerment On a more individualistic level, we need to acknowledge that very often, there are low-skilled female workers who end up working for minimum wage jobs, because a minimum wage job is better than no job at all, right? However, what would happen if prostitution were legalized? It seems more likely than not that this would at least be a moderately high paying job, and it would therefore allow for the empowerment of women, helping them to pay for higher education, better health care, to future business ideas, or whatever else it is that they want. Given the higher amount of spending money, these women would be able to have a stronger path towards upwards mobility. On a fundamental level, we’ve got to acknowledge the potential here. No longer would someone who can’t afford to go to college be forced to live at a low income. No longer would someone born into poverty be stuck in poverty. Legalizing prostitution creates a legitimate path for female empowerment. C7. Victimless Crime To be absolutely clear, prostitution has no victim. Someone goes up to a prostitute, and offers to pay her money for sex. The prostitute accepts. They then have sex, and go their separate ways. It was voluntary, no third party was harmed by this, and neither party was harmed, unless there was an issue with one not informing the other of an STD or something (which, as shown before, could be solved for by legalizing and regulating prostitution). Nobody was a victim here, and to say that the prostitute or the customer was a victim would be to say that they have no agency to make decisions for themselves over their own bodies. So given the fact that people are already doing it, there is no victim, and the main harms that can come with prostitution can be solved for by legalization, it seems clear that we should stop punishing those involved and that prostitution should be legalized. Conclusion So to conclude this debate, it is absolutely clear that prostitution ought to be legalized. In legalizing prostitution, we can actually regulate it and therefore reduce pimp on prostitute violence, reduce prostitute rape, and reduce the spread of STDs. It means that women will be able to actually have ownership of their own bodies, rather than being told what they can and can’t do with them by disconnected men in politics. It means that low-skilled women will not be forced into working for minimum wage and will have the option available to them. It means that a victimless crime will not be punished, and that we can actually have additional tax revenue that could go to things like education, rather than be solely a cost on government. So to draw the debate back to the initial question, “should people be punished for this action that people do anyway? ” it is clear that there is little to gain and everything to lose by keeping it illegal.

Prostitution should be legalised to protect sex workers from HIV/AIDS Prohibition Doesn't Work.

The Legalization of Prostitution The prohibition of money-for-sex has failed and should be ended for the sake of protecting women and individual freedom.

Prostitution should not be legalized The main reason why prostitution should be legalised is health related. Right now prostitution is the leading cause of STDs, but only because it is illegal and practised on street corners. If prostitution was legal, prostitutes would be checked constantly and clients could be required to prove they are healthy. In Australian brothels all men must be checked before going there. As long as prostitution is illegal, it is impossible to control their health. Legalizing it, however, allows you to check both the prostitutes and their clients constantly in order to significantly reduce infections. Also, legalising prostitution would eliminate most pimps, because prostitutes would be able to work on their own. Sure, some would still work for pimps, but they would clearly act very differently. The reason pimps can abuse prostitutes is because they cannot call the police or complain in any way. Legalizing prostitution would give prostitutes a chance to report the abusive pimps to the police without risking their own freedom. Human trafficking would be just the same if prostitution was legal. Legalizing prostitution doesn't mean legalizing human trafficking. Also, legalizing prostitution wouldn't have any effect of human trafficking, it wouldn't make it easy or encourage more people to do it. Legal prostitution would also mean a very different work space for prostitutes. As long as prostitution is illegal, they must work on the streets. Legalizing it would allow them to work in more decent and safe conditions. This would also solve the problem of safety. Prostitutes are very vulnerable. This is why most serial killer kill prostitutes. When you allow prostitutes to work in decent, clean, safe, legal brothels, you also protect them from murderers or abusive clients. These are the main benefits of legalizing prostitution. I don't have much time so I will post my rebuttals in the next round.

Prostitution Should Be Legal Prostitution is simply an issue of individual liberty.

Prostitution should not be legalized HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARE REAL ISSUES Prostitution as work doesn"t dignify women or human , its not a professionalism or dignify work. Legalized prostitution encouraging the society to create a legitimate sex entrepreneurs or third party businessmen in sex industry. its trading human for profit, No woman should be punished for her own exploitation. Prostitution industries are one of the root causes of human trafficking > http://en.wikipedia.org... the International Organization of Migration (IOM) has estimated that 500,000 women and children are trafficked in Europe annually . In contrast, it has been estimated that 45,000-50,000 women and children are trafficked annually into the United States One goals of legalized prostitution was to move prostituted women indoors into brothels and clubs where they would be allegedly less vulnerable than in street prostitution. However, many women are in street prostitution because they want to avoid being controlled and exploited by pimps (transformed in legalized systems into sex businessmen). Other women do not want to register or submit to health checks, as required by law in some countries where prostitution is legalized. legalized will create a society view of prostitution is acceptable, it also encourages men to buy women for sex . men who would not formerly consider buying a woman in prostitution think, "Well, if it"s legal, if it"s decriminalized, now it must be O.K." Most women in prostitution did not make a rational choice to enter prostitution from among a range of other options. They did not sit down one day and decide that they wanted to be prostitutes. They did not have other real options such as medicine, law, nursing or politics. Instead, their "options" were more in the realm of how to feed themselves and their children. Such choices are better termed survival strategies. agree with me not to Legalizing Prostitution , when its legalized it will encourage and support unfaithful man , it will teach our future generation the wrong value in life. it will encourage businessmen in sex industry, human trafficking. criminal group will start to operate in city . will any decent businessman run a sex industry? most women in prostitution because of survival strategies.

Prostitution should be legalised in the US I will be basing my argument off one from a previous debate of mine (. http://www.debate.org...) . === PRO ARGUMENTS === ECONOMIC BENEFITS: If Prostitution was legalised, the government could regulate it and tax it. It would create more revenue for the government through this. Furthermore, it would add another legal market to the economy and lead for a bigger economy for the nation which legalises it. The legalisation of Prostitution has benefited many countries which legalised it economically, and is a significant percentage of economic activity. "The prostitution industry accounts for 5% of the GDP of the Netherlands, between 1 and 3% of Japanese GDP and in 1998, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that prostitution accounted for between 2 and 14% of the total economic activity in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines" - . http://sisyphe.org... WORKER BENEFITS: The legalisation of prostitution would lead to better working conditions for prostitutes. The legalisation of prostitution has led to better health conditions in countries which legalise it, such as Senegal: "In Senegal, HIV prevalence among pregnant women has been below 1% for more than a decade. A strong multisectoral response, an effective STD control programme and early legalization of prostitution have been credited for this low level. Special clinical services, for example, offer regular examination and treatment for registered sex workers. Not only has there been a significant decline in STD rates among sex workers and pregnant women between 1991 and 1996, but genital ulcers are also no longer common and chancroid is reportedly rare. " - . http://www.liberator.net... Another example is Nevada within the U. S. Currently, only selected areas of Nevada have legalised prostitution. In this system, women are regularly checked for STD's. Women are tested for Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia weekly, and monthly for HIV and syphilis (. http://www.leg.state.nv.us...). It also worth noting there has not been a single case of a prostitute in the legalised brothels of Nevada getting AIDS, and this is since 1989. (. http://www.fff.org...) This is comparable to areas where prostitution still illegal, where "roughly half of the street prostitutes in Washington, D. C. , and New York City are HIV-positive. In Newark, New Jersey, the estimate is that close to 60% of all prostitutes carry the AIDS virus. " (. http://www.fff.org...) It is also worth noting that, as it stands, prostitutes have little legal recourse, and workers rights do no exist, which, if prostitution were legalised, would allow prostitute to get better working conditions, allow to join unions, among other things. This shows that when the sex industry is legalised and regulated, the workers within it are less prone to STD's than in the illegal sex industry. SOCIETAL BENEFITS: There is a general reduction in violence and criminal activities with the legalisation of prostitution, and a lower crime rates in accordance with the level of punishment given to prostitution. "It is unknown if there is a correlation between laws that prohibit sex and higher crime rates, but the reverse appears to be more enlightening. The countries where prostitution is legal do not suffer from a high number of violent crimes. " - . http://www.liberator.net... CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the legalisation of prostitution leads to a bigger economy. There are also benefits for workers in the form of legal recourse and significantly lower STD rates. There is also a reduced crime rate.

No to legalizing prostitution Although legalising prostitution itself is perceived as a negative thing, it is very easy to see the positive side of this decision. First and fore-mostly, prostitution is going to exist no matter if it is legal or not. Making prostitution illegal does not stop people from taking this path, or going to a prostitute, similar to making drugs such as heroine illegal will not stop people from buying them, dealing them, or using them. Thus, all of your points will still stand no matter if prostitution is legal or not. Given this case, acknowledging and making prostitution legal at least give prostitutes basic rights to protect themselves from abuse, being under-paid, or being raped. If prostitution would forever remain illegal, it will not die down, and the prostitutes, often young and vulnerable, will have no rights protecting them from various harms on the streets. Although making prostitution legal will not terminate anything, it will still decrease the chances of ' finding themselves at a place, where they do not want to be. ' as they will be under the protection of the law. Making prostitution into a lawful job also means that laws could be implanted so that STDs and such diseases could be checked frequently, and an age limit put on. Thus making prostitution legal will be beneficial to the health and safety of both prostitutes and their customers. Of course, most of the people entering prostitution are young and should be getting an education instead of selling their own bodies. This is largely due to poverty, domestic abuse and human trafficking. This phenomena is not going to improve whether prostitution is legal or not. It is structured deep within society and unless there are ways for domestic abuse and human trafficking to stop, there will be forever children and teens entering the industry. This also brings me back to my previous point. If prostitution is to remain illegal, 'in the dark', and as a social taboo, the children and teenagers will find themselves in a situation in which they would never make enough money to get out of, and being constantly abused at the same time. If prostitution was legal however, their situation will improve drastically, as they will be under the protection of the law, perhaps even providing them with a minimum wage and various welfares. Lastly, forced prostitution and human trafficking aside, if someone is willing to exchange sex with money and enjoy the process of it, why should it be illegal? The pornography industry is perfectly legal, so why isn't the prostitution industry legal? In conclusion, it is undeniable that forced prostitution should not be supported, but it is also clear that if prostitution remain illegal, prostitution will not stop and the conditions will be relatively worse. On the other hand, if it was legalised, laws could be implanted to protect the prostitutes from harm and abuse and help them get on the right track, and it will also give people who enjoy this profession a lawful job. However please keep in mind that most problems with prostitution is not caused by 'prostitution' but factors like poverty and domestic abused, as well as human trafficking. Source: http://www.policeprostitutionandpolitics.com...

Prostitution should be legalized You are of course free to present any relevant definitions you want later on when you present your counterarguments, if necessary. For an activity to be criminalized it must at the bare minimum infringe upon other peoples rights, either directly (rape, murder, theft, etc. ), or indirectly (pollution damaging peoples health for example). I maintain that prostitution involves neither and should therefor not be considered a crime. My first argument will be the fundamental one dealing with the legality of prostitution. The other two are supporting arguments demonstrating the positive practical benefits of legalizing prostitution.1. Prostitution is a victimless crimeGiven that the prostitute and the buyer are both consenting participants, there is no victim. If there is no victim, then how can there be a crime? Furthermore, the state has no business controlling what adults choose to do with their own bodies, as long as they are not infringing on other peoples rights. 2. Undermining the black market and increasing workplace safety for prostitutesToday, black markets, i. e. pimps and other criminals, meet the demand for prostitution and these „employers“ tend not to be overly concerned with the safety of their employes. If prostitution were legalized, then the black market would have to compete with legal brothels, which would presumably be regulated by the government. Prostitutes working at these brothels would enjoy the benefit of a much safer working environment and would therefor have a significant incentive to work there instead. Legalizing prostitution would also allow prostitutes to unionize, ensuring that their rights as working men and women would be respected.3. Decreasing the taxpayers' loadThe state spends significant amounts of money combating prostitution. If prostitution were legalized, then the expenditures of the police and justice systems would decrease and the tax revenue would increase. I look forward to reading con's rebuttals and counterarguments.

Prostitution should be legalized I will be presenting arguments from a prior debate of mine where my opponent forfeited. This is not plagiarism since it‘s all written by me. For an activity to be criminalized it must at the bare minimum infringe upon other peoples rights, either directly (rape, murder, theft, etc. ), or indirectly (pollution damaging peoples health for example). I maintain that prostitution involves neither and should therefor not be considered a crime. My first argument will be the fundamental one dealing with the legality of prostitution. The other two are supporting arguments demonstrating the positive practical benefits of legalizing prostitution.1. Prostitution is a victimless crimeGiven that the prostitute and the buyer are both consenting participants, there is no victim. If there is no victim, then how can there be a crime? Furthermore, the state has no business controlling what adults choose to do with their own bodies or for what reasons they choose to engage in sexual activities, as long as they are not infringing on other peoples rights. 2. Undermining the black market and increasing workplace safety for prostitutesToday, black markets, i. e. pimps and other criminals, meet the demand for prostitution and these „employers“ tend not to be overly concerned with the safety of their employes. If prostitution were legalized, then the black market would have to compete with legal brothels, which would presumably be regulated by the government. Prostitutes working at these brothels would enjoy the benefit of a much safer working environment and would therefor have a significant incentive to work there instead. Legalizing prostitution would also allow prostitutes to unionize, ensuring that their rights as working men and women would be respected.3. Decreasing the taxpayers' loadThe state spends significant amounts of money and resources combating prostitution. If prostitution were legalized, then the expenditures of the police and justice systems would decrease and the tax revenue would increase. I look forward to reading con's rebuttals and counterarguments.

Prostitution Should Be Legal Brilliant. Thank you, and I apologize for my tardiness.Nordic ApproachI am still slightly unclear on this proposal (I will allow my opponent to elaborate and make his case), but the basis of this law to me does not make a whole lot of sense. If two adults consent to a sexual activity, what difference does it make that a transaction of money has taken place? In essence, we would be allowing people to be whores and such all they want by offering and giving out their sexual services for free, but we would be denying them a source of income if that is what they choose to do as a living. I disagree. Why make it illegal to pay for something that is perfectly legal to give out for free?People should be legally able to do what they want with their own bodiesMy argument here is simple: I believe that the government should have no interference in the personal lives of a citizen. Such matters are, by definition, personal. If a person chooses to prostitute their body, the government has no right to get into that business. That person made a lifestyle choice and a career move, and they made that decision consciously and independently. To block this choice is nonsensical. Making prostitution illegal creates a dangerous black marketObviously, making prostitution illegal hasn't made prostitution go away. Even in places where prostitution is a crime punishable by death, it still exists. It will never stop existing. It's the same way with a lot of things that are illegal. The real effect that not legalizing prostitution has is that it hurts the prostitutes. These people are subject to abuse, rape, or even murder, all because they can't go to the police due to fear of arrest. Prostitutes are in danger, and legalizing and regulating their work would go a long way to protecting them. Prostitution is victimless and is therefore not a crimeThere are few valid reasons for why prostitution should be illegal beyond a basal religious worldview. Of course, religion shouldn't be taken into account because of the First Amendment to the constitution, which, for all intents and purposes, prohibits us from legislating based on religion. So, beyond that, who is being hurt by prostitution? If a person makes the private choice to pay for a sexual service, there is no harm being done and the government should get out of the way. As I've stated earlier, the only one who could potentially be harmed is the prostitute.Legalized prostitution will be safer and a more efficient private sectorFor all of the reasons I have mentioned above, it is my belief that a legal, regulated prostitution system would not only be safer, but it would also add another sector to our economy. Capitalists who oppose legalized prostitution (and other things for that matter) sounds like an oxymoron to me. Rejecting people from doing what they want without hurting anyone and making money off of it sounds like a capitalist nightmare to me.ConclusionTo sum it all up, the government can protect prostitutes, add a whole new sector to the economy, and stop taking liberty away by making prostitution illegal. Prostitutes and customers have the individual right to make personal and economic decisions of their own without interference from the government, and the only person prostitution could ever potentially harm is the prostitute herself, and that is only when it is illegal and unregulated as it is now in the US.Of course, I would like to allow Con to make his case for the Nordic approach and, if he feels it necessary, to form rebuttals on my arguments.

Resolved: Prostitution should be legalized See the comments for rule clarifications. DefinitionsLegalize: To make lawful/legal (. http://tiny.cc...)Prostitution: The act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. (. http://tiny.cc...)Prostitution will still happenIt is irrelevant whether prostitution is legal or illegal - there will still be prostitutes. I quote from an article published by The Economist (. http://tiny.cc...): "Prohibition of gambling and alcohol have both been tried in varying degrees in dozens of countries around the world, always with the result of stimulating illegality and sleaze. The sex industry appears to be no different. All developed economies have conceded that the business is impossible to stamp out. " There remains ongoing evidence of this to this day. In the United States, 15% of men admit to having paid for sex in 2004 - despite it being illegal in all states except Nevada (. http://tiny.cc...). An even larger number of men probably didn't want to admit to a crime to a random person conducting a telephone survey. Similar kinds of survey effects happen with drugs as well. There are a number of reasons for this. The most important thing is to consider why people become prostitutes, and the typical answer is that they need money. Prostitution is selling yourself - this is not a decision made on a whim. These are usually people who feel they have few other options. This is why an extraordinarily large proportion of prostitutes contemplate suicide. Prostitutes are the broke college students who need to make a little money to finish their degrees. Prostitutes are the homeless who can't find work. They're the hard working mothers whose day job doesn't earn them sufficient income to give their kids a good education. These people do not just magically disappear because you make prostitution illegal. There's no reason to think this kind of group - who probably need the work more than anyone else - will just accept unemployment as an alternative. The main difference is that prostitutes would be more likely to honor local restrictions on how they can practice, but more importantly, where they can practice. For instance, there are good reasons not to allow street prostitutes to solicit customers right outside a public school, so it's good to put such restrictions in place. However, if prostitution is illegal everywhere, then prostitutes have little incentive not to solicit anywhere they want, so long as the police isn't watching at the time. The problem here is that the police can't watch everywhere all the time, so prostitutes tend to practice just as much in places where we don't want them as in places that are a little more appropriate. SafetyThe harm of having prostitutes work underground is that they cannot be monitored by the government. Prostitution is still relatively easy to do because unlike many industries, prostitution is by nature a secretive kind of business, particularly since many clients will be married or similar. Having support networks available for prostitutes to find out more information, share details about bad clients and get out of the industry if they want to is really important, but it this is almost impossible to organise when the government is trying to stop you. Prostitution is one of the world's most dangerous professions. For instance, clients who do not get what they want or find themselves unable to pay will often rape the prostitute for that reason. More mean clients may engage in sexual harassment. Some clients abuse prostitutes or blackmail them. The difference is that while prostitution is illegal, if one party was asking for money from the other it's a crime. That means that the prostitutes rarely come forward to police with these kinds of crimes - because THEY'RE the criminals. Talking to other prostitutes is also very difficult because they're all trying to work secretly. The very fact that they're doing something illegal can also be used by clients as a form of blackmail. If the prostitute fails to deliver something the client wanted, and the client responds badly to that, the client may threaten the prostitute that they may end up in prison too. All this is bad for a number of reasons. First, it provides additional incentives for clients to do bad things to prostitutes. Second, it means more crime goes unreported. Both of these are particularly harmful since the sort of people who do bad things to hookers are exactly the kind of people we want in prison, as they are likely to also be bad in other aspects of their lives. In addition to putting them in prison directly, they are less likely to commit the crimes in the first place as their root cause is often a build up of sexual frustration - prostitution being a way for these people to let off steam. As well as clients, managers of illegal brothels are also rarely the nicest people, as the fact they are exploiting young women to do something criminal would suggest. Given their volume of sexual contact, prostitutes also need to be very aware of safe sex practices. The trouble is that prostitutes are often afraid even of visiting a doctor because of the fear of being found out as a result. Doctors have several incentives to do exactly this, not least among them that few people like to visit a medical practice that breaks laws, and the importance of reputation in the medical profession. The harms of this are that sexually transmitted diseases spread more readily from one prostitute to the next, causing health issues in the population as a whole. For prostitutes, the most dangerous of these is one known as "pregnancy". It's dangerous because it financially ruins the prostitute - both because it stops their primary income stream, and because the resulting child costs the prostitute money (unless they get an abortion, which is also expensive, controversial and dangerous). In any event it's a quick and obvious way of being busted as a prostitute. Within the wider prostitution industry, there is also the significant risk of human trafficking. This is much harder to do when you're a legal brothel or similar than when you're illegal. Connections to the prostitution network directly allow police to monitor warning signs that human trafficking may be going on somewhere. Other management practices that can also be monitored include the age of the prostitutes, which is impossible if the police are trying to catch the prostitutes rather than process them. Underage prostitutes sometimes, although more rarely, start practicing on their own, which would indicate immediate intervention is required in their lives. This is more difficult to monitor if, for example, they are not only too ashamed to open up to their family, but doing so would get them incarcerated and give them a criminal record as well. In general, having labor protections is important in any industry, but the rule of law does not extend to the black market, thus posing a significant workplace safety risk. Beyond the immediate risks of their own industry, forcing them into circles of people who engage in illegal activity may get them involved in other illegal activities, such as taking drugs. Safety is relative not just to the threat but to whom you are putting in a position of danger. The worst part about this is that the poor and vulnerable and the most likely to be prostitutes, and perhaps the most in need of law to protect them. This is because they are the most likely to be sufficiently motivated by the need to get resources as they have the least of them. Making prostitution illegal stigmatizes not only prostitutes, but this whole population who become typecast as frequently being prostitutes. That creates classism and harms the ability of the poor in any given country to work their way out of poverty. Next round I'll do rebuttal and will add an extra point I didn't have space for, on the role of the state.

Prostitution should be legal Prostitution should be legal since women can have the choice to practice it or not. If they are not being forced then I don't see the problem. If we legalise it , many women that can't find a job will want to do it since it is not against the law. They can win money, have fun and give others pleasure too. There is nothing sexist about prostitution, and so it should be legal.

Prostitution should be legalized My adversary kind of kept this short so I will as well. Consensual SexThis is something the government should not be able to regulate the actual act of. In all honesty prostitution happens openly in a majority of relationships. Has your girlfriend ever told you that if you behave good or take her somewhere, you may get a surprise? This by its definition is an act of prostitution. It is a receiving sex for an action that was committed. Consensual Sex at its core is sex entered into by mutual consent without formalization by document or ceremony[1]I mean think about it, every time we have sex we are doing it for pleasure. We are having sex with someone in hopes they will satisfy us with pleasure in return. This can even at its core be argued and claimed to be prostitution. The motive for sex is irrelevant as long as both people are consenting. Regulation on Prostitution itselfWhile the government has no right to regulate who you have sex with and what you have sex for, they can regulate the business side of it. While most people who are prostitutes are doing so in private, if this were regulated it could help prevent illness such as aids and STDS.Ever since we can think of prostitution has been around, even in medieval times. The main point of this contention is saying we can not stop it. If it is always going to be in here and is on the line of being legal already by definition, why not just reduce the effects and risks of it?There would be avenues where people could get tested for STDS and HIVS and be subjected to preventive care. This also reduces the risk of clients receiving STDS and can help stop the spread of some of them at the core. "These laws [criminalizing acts associated with prostitution], and the way in which they’re enforced, push sex workers into situations that put their health and safety at risk, and leave them open to stigma and discrimination, violence, and possible exposure to HIV." [2] says Glenn Betteridge Senior Analyst for the HIV/AIDS legal network in Canada. Priscilla Alexander co founder of the National Task force on prostitution says this"For HIV/AIDS prevention to succeed, the conditions of risk have to change. The context – legal, social, economic – of sex work has to change, with repeal of criminal laws, access to visas and work permits, freedom of movement and association, and occupational safety and health regulations, to reduce the imposition of risk from above. Until then, it will be heroic, strong individuals that can insist on safe behaviors, leaving those who are less heroic, those who are more timid and afraid, to suffer the consequences of the context of risk." [3] Decrease in Sex CrimesThere is a high possibility that by legalizing prostitution, it will reduce the amount of sexual assaults and crimes that happen. Most people feel the need to be in control whom commit rape and other violent acts, opening up legal prostitution is a way for people whom have a different side to get into activities such as SNM and other types of off the board sexual related intercourse. Some studies even shown that rape would decrease up to 25 percent or even decrease by 25,000 rapes per year. [4]ConclusionProstitution is an act of sex. Sex is legal by all means and the motivation for sex should not be controlled by the government. By legalizing payment for sex it would help reduces STDS, HIVS, and other illnesses. It would also help reduce sexual crimes such as rape. In essence if two adults are consenting and want to have sex, why they have sex should not be considered a crime. [1] http://www.thefreedictionary.com...[2] http://www.aidslaw.ca...[3] http://www.bayswan.org...[4] http://www.independent.org...

The USFG should legalize prostitution. Framework: Many people whom oppose Prostitution will argue that Prostitution brings more crime, STD’s will be more on the rise, and we put out police officers at risk. But, in reality, if we were to make it legal, we would actually have healthy sex workers, crime in the field of prostitution would lower, and STD’s would not be a big worry. Not only will legalizing prostitution reduce crime, but by legalizing it, we will be able to tax prostitutes, thus have a wealthier economy. Not only will I be arguing the social aspects of prostitution, but I will also be arguing that by making it illegal, we are taking away the human rights of a prostitute. No human rights should be taken away on the basis of their trade, occupation, calling or profession. Today, in 2016, no laws have been able to stop prostitution, so we may as well legalize it, and benefit from it! Contention #1: Justice There are multiple reasoning’s as to why Prostitution should be legalized for the sake of justice. But, the main aspect I will be discussing is a job. First, it’s important to define what a job is. [1] A piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price: Just by this definition, we can easily understand that Prostitution is a form of work. Prostitution is the act of sexual favors for arranged installment between consenting grown-ups. So, prostitution is merely an industry like some other in which individuals trade favors for cash. The fact of the matter is that prostitution is alive and well in this country, and it will go on whether we do anything about it, or not. Sex workers should receive the same rights as any other worker, in any other field. The laws protect citizens, and they should also protect prostitutes, such as: sexual assault, sexual harassment, and rape. Every human being has the fundamental right to work, which can be easily established by looking at international law. We can look to any number of sources. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states it plainly in Article 23.1.[12] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is unequivocal as well, and this can be found in Part III, Article 6.[13] The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights agrees as well, in Article 15.[14]. As long as this right exists, it exists to every capable adult, human being. So what happens if we take away these rights, and make prostitution illegal? It’s simple. We are dehumanizing. We are merely restricting the work and profession of what a person decides to do, and this is completely unjust, and we are merely discriminating. [2] Since this is an industry dominated by women, it's even more unjust, as it's a discriminatory practice that predominantly affects a single sex. Contention #2: Safety Prostitution is considered a victimless crime, as long as the people are consenting adults, and nobody is hurt. Prostitution does not always imply there is in fact a victim. There are situations when in fact Prostitution may be abused by her pimp, because she want’s to leave the business, or she did something she was not able to. Many women take part in this industry because they are poor, and unable to find another job, so Prostitution is merely the only way for them. [3] Beyond that, many women are simply dependent upon the money they earn in this system as other job opportunities are not available to them, often because they have suffered so much abuse as children, including rape and incest, that they simply don't have the wherewithal to take on another job.[4] This means that we're currently forcing them into these abusive situations in order to survive. Prostitution will take place, regardless if it is illegal, or not. [5] Concurrently, this has done nothing to slow the demand for sex work. In 2010 alone, the Bureau of Justice reported that over 60,000 people were arrested for prostitution. Simply put, regardless of whether or not it’s legal, prostitution will continue. According to Amnesty International, a human right’organization, one of their studies stated.. [5] “We have seen evidence to suggest that the criminalization of sex work leads to social marginalization and an increased risk of human rights abuses against sex workers. The evidence also suggests that decriminalization could be the best means to protect the rights of sex workers and ensure that these individuals receive adequate medical care, legal assistance and police protection.” It is clear to see, that making this form of work illegal, causes more harm, than good. By keeping prostitution illegal America has created an environment in which sex workers are subjected to violence, disease, ridicule and inequality. Law enforcement is a dangerous job in it’s self, but we put them in risk while they patrol the streets for prostitutes, when a big majority of the time, prostitution is a victimless crime. Diseases: By making Prostitution legal, we could lower the risk of STD’s. [6] In countries and states where prostitution is legal, the risk of sexual transmitted diseases is slower than where prostitution is illegal. This is because prostitutes have better access to doctors, medicines, sex education, and contraceptives that prevent and reduce sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as condoms. Furthermore, countries that legalize prostitution and require periodic testing for STDs have an even further lower rate of transmitting STDs. Contention #3: Legalizing Prostitution would be a substantial source of tax revenue Prostitution is industry that has always existed, and it’s a strong industry. We can never get rid of it. [6] “Therefore, the obvious solution is to turn prostitution into a business that can be regulated, monitored, and taxed, like every other business.” [7] “In 2007 alone, Atlanta’s sex trade was worth a staggering $290 million. Not to mention, between 2005 and 2011, the average weekly cash income for pimps in the city was $32,833. In Nevada, legal brothels collectively make around $50 million a year, and pay significant amounts of tax to the rural counties in which they are located and operate.” What could be the worst possible out-come of taxing prostitutes? Instead, we are wasting tax dollars, on making our officers go out, and patrol the streets for a “crime” that will never stop. Prostitution is an industry, it’s a job, and it’s a choice. By making it illegal, we only run the chance of greater violence, more STD.s, violation of ones righ’ts, and wasting tax dollars. Sources: [1] http://www.dictionary.com... [2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com... [3] http://www.womenslaw.org... [4]http://www.womenslaw.org... [5, 6, 7] http://elitedaily.com... (sorry for the random large wording, DDO rich text was not working properly)

Prostitution Since Con did not post any rules I will go straight to the point and post my arguments and rebuttals. Definitions prostitution - the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment [1] Arguments 1. Legalizing Prostitution Reduces Sex Crimes. “It is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year” (Kundiff). [2] That is a huge difference in regards to fighting crime against women. Even if we can save one person from being sexually abused that is a big deal. Statistics point out that rapes against women can be decreased if sex was more available. “A study conducted in Queensland. .. show[ed] a 149% increase in the rate of rape when legal brothels were closed in 1959, while other offenses against the person by males increased only 49%. ” (Reichmann). [3] That is a huge jump in sex crimes. If they had not closed those brothels and sex with still legalized, rapes and sex crimes would not be a big issue and we would not waste our time and money on locking up prostitutes. If we are going to fight a winless battle against rape we should make it easier and legalize prostitution in a manner that it once was. Have brothels and call girls that are sex workers, they exchange sex for money in mutual agreement where no one is harmed nor is there any crime committed. 2. Prostitution Employment Rights Many prostitutes are at the financial mercy of their pimps, who often take more than half their income. [4] Legalization would protect their rights. Legalizing prostitution will give power to the women and not the customer. As of today these women get beaten by their customers, and at times even raped because these women cannot turn to the authorities to report the crime. They are afraid of the consequences that it would bring to them. 3. Prostitution and Tax Money Making prostitution legal will not only bring rape rates down but it will also help generate tax money as well. Legalizing prostitution has a great advantage when it comes to bringing in tax money. “If prostitution is legalized, society gains income tax revenue that would have been otherwise lost” (Unigwe). [5] That statement is very true because the government does not see a single penny from the prostitutes because they act of having sex for money in illegal. All that money that gets unreported does not help us at all. If we had brothels where every dollar that was exchanged was recorded, the states would benefit greatly because they can earn income tax from these businesses. Rather than fighting prostitution and spending money on sting operations to get these prostitutes off the street, we can make it legal for these women to practice sex in exchange for money in a safe environment such as brothels. Rebuttals “It is extremely ridiculous to say that prostitution is harmless. How is a woman being beaten by a pimp because she doesn't bring him enough money right? IT'S NOT! !” "How is prostitution right? A woman is forced to have sex and gets beaten afterwards. It is a sexist act as well as a gruesome crime. Prostitution needs to be stopped, not legalized. " Illegalized prostitution is harmful. Prostitutes will not need pimps and will not be beaten up if prostitution is legalized. Legalizing prostitution will give the women rights and work in a safe environment like brothels. “A prostitute is a prime candidate of STDs and she can easily become pregnant and never know who the father is. Her baby will grow up fatherless and live a horrible life as the mother is likely a drug addict and will not have child support. ” Legalizing prostitution will make prostitutes more professional and safe. They will practice only the safest forms of sex. They check for visual signs of disease, wash you both with hospital grade soap, and use condoms, and dental dams, as well as getting weekly STD tests. Not all prostitutes are drug addicts. There are different type of prostitutes; street walkers and escorts/sex workers. Both groups prostitute themselves for the same cause, but in different ways. They both have different motives. For example, the study done by Allan Schwartz, PH. D. stated that an escort is someone that is young, wants to make money, and get out of the business as soon as they reach the amount they desire. They sell their services while they are young so they can pay for school or whatever that is that they desire. A street walker is someone that does prostitution as a means to get drugs. Studies shows that majority of the women that are prostitutes had been sexually assaulted (Schwartz). [6] These assaults are usually towards the street walkers. Street walkers are human beings and have feelings, emotions, and needs just as we do, but their upbringing and the environment that they live in has made them turn to prostitution as a means to get by in life. These women are addicted to drugs and some of them even catch diseases from their customers from unprotected sex. Sources [1] . http://www.oxforddictionaries.com... [2] . http://www.independent.org... [3] . http://prostitution.procon.org... [4] . http://www.examiner.com... [5] . http://www.nytimes.com... [6] . http://www.riverwoodcenter.org...

prostitution should be legal prostitution is an agreement between consenting adultsProstitution is sex in exchange for money. One party is willing to pay money to have sex. The other party is willing to receive money for sex. If both parties adults, government should not take away their freedom to engage in the exchange. Of course, child prostitution and forced prostitution should remain illegal.legalization makes prostitution safer If sex workers are not treated as criminals, they can seek the protection of law enforcement without fear of being arrested. Sex workers should be registered. This way, it will be easier to for law enforcement and potential clients when sex workers are minors, when they are forced or when they are illegal immigrants.

Prostitution should be illegal. Prostitution should be illegal for four reasons: (1) prostitution causes irreparable physical and psychological harms, (2) legalizing prostitution will not eliminate violence in prostitution, (3) prostitution increases human trafficking, and (4) prostitution perpetuates gender inequality.1. Women who prostitute are irreparably harmed both physically and psychologically.The average life span for a woman entering prostitution is four years. No other population of women has a higher death rate. [1] Prostitutes are often murdered. But this high death rate is not just the result of homicide; it's also caused by the incredible violence and brutality that prostitutes face every day.Prostitutes experience an extensive catalog of violence. Their hair is pulled, their faces are ejaculated on, their breasts are squeezed; they are slapped, pinched, verbally abused, threatened, beaten, cut with knives, burned with cigarettes, and gang raped. [1] Victims of torture describe very similar acts. [2] And like victims of torture, prostitutes report injuries such as bruises, mouth and teeth injuries, vaginal bleeding, internal injuries, head injuries, and broken bones. [3] Moreover, these results are not limited to illegal prostitution. These results include prostitutes working in countries where prostitution is legal, in brothels with so-called "safety policies." [4]Prostitution also has psychological consequences. For example, prostitutes are at a heightened risk of depression, mania, suicidal thoughts, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders and chemical dependence. [1] Prostitutes report a sense of "splitting," of "leaving my body" or going "someplace else mentally." The result is a higher incidence of dissociative disorders. [5] Without surprise, prostitution also leads to a higher incidence of PTSD.The psychological damage stems from the act itself. Even women who choose to prostitute cannot avoid the trauma associated with constant sexual degradation, and with having one's body sold as a commodity. The psychological damage is often unconscious and manifests after-the-fact. Thus, no amount of "improvement" to the conditions of prostitution can eliminate its psychological consequences.2. Legalizing prostitution will not eliminate violence in prostitution.Rates of assault and rape against prostitutes remains extremely high even in countries that have legalized prostitution. [6] Legalization would draw thousands more women into prostitution without any demonstrable decrease in violence. For example, in European countries where prostitution has been legalized -- or had elements of prostitution legalized -- the number of prostitutes has more than doubled after legalization. [7] Yet violence towards these prostitutes has not decreased. In fact, studies have found that women working in brothels and other indoor facilities have less control because the owners control what sex acts they do and with whom. [1] Often, the result has been more violence towards prostitutes than in places where prostitution is legal. Legalization has been tried. It has not eliminated violence in prostitution. Sometimes, it has even led to more violence towards prostitutes. Thus, prostitution should not be legalized.3. Legalizing prostitution would increase human trafficking.We can all agree that human trafficking is bad. It poses serious health issues for women and girls worldwide, weakens the rule of law, and may even compromise international security.Studies have found that legalizing prostitution increases human trafficking. For example, a 2012 study published by World Development found that countries with legalized prostitution have higher human trafficking inflows than countries where prostitution is prohibited. [8] The International Organization of Migration attributed the rise in trafficking to the rise of prostitution in Europe. [9] And the U.S. Department of State recognized that legalized prostitution makes anti-trafficking work more difficult. [9]Everyone agrees that trafficking is a violation of basic human rights. But trafficking would not exist without prostitution. The two go hand-in-hand. Without dispute, all the empirical data we have suggests that legalization of prostitution leads to increased trafficking.4. Legalizing prostitution would perpetuate gender inequality.Prostitution is about men's control over women's sexuality. The prostitution industry exploits the economic, physical, and social weakness of women and children, in order to service men. To put it bluntly, legalized prostitution exists for the benefit of men. Which in turn ends up perpetuating gender inequality.Think about it this way: Prostitution is like female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is often represented as something that women choose, either for themselves or for their female children. Indeed, the practice is usually carried out by women alone. But does that make female genital mutilation okay? No. But why shouldn't female genital mutilation be legal if its carried out by women alone? Because like prostitution, female genital mutilation exists solely for the benefit of men. Male ideas of female sexuality are what underlie the practice, and it is those ideas that female genital mutilation attempts to satisfy.Prostitution perpetuates gender inequality in the same way that female genital mutilation perpetuates gender inequality. Degrading, patriarchal ideas of female sexuality underlie both practices. And both practices are thus an expression of men's control over women's sexuality.For the above reasons, prostitution should be illegal.References:[1] Melissa Farley, "Prostitution in Five Countries: Violence and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," published in Feminism and Psychology.[2] "Nigerian women tortured by prostitution ring in Greece," Associated Press, August 15, 2005.[3] A Comparative Study of Women Trafficked in the Migration Process: Patterns, Profiles and Health Consequences of Sexual Exploitation in Five Countries, http://action.web.ca...[4] Patricia Hynes and Janice Raymond, "Put in Harms Way: The Neglected Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the United States."[5] C.A. Ross, M. Farley, and H.L. Schwartz, "Dissociation Among Women in Prostitution."[6] I. Vanwesenbeeck et al, "Professional HIV risk taking, levels of victimization, and well-being in female prostitutes in the Netherlands."[7] Joan Smith, "Why British men are rapists."[8] http://papers.ssrn.com...[9] J. Raymond, "Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution and a Legal Response to the Demand for Prostitution."

Prostitution should be illegal. Prostitution should be illegal for four reasons: (1) prostitution causes irreparable physical and psychological harms, (2) legalizing prostitution will not eliminate violence in prostitution, (3) prostitution increases human trafficking, and (4) prostitution perpetuates gender inequality.1. Women who prostitute are irreparably harmed both physically and psychologically.The average life span for a woman entering prostitution is four years. No other population of women has a higher death rate. [1] Prostitutes are often murdered. But this high death rate is not just the result of homicide; it's also caused by the incredible violence and brutality that prostitutes face every day.Prostitutes experience an extensive catalog of violence. Their hair is pulled, their faces are ejaculated on, their breasts are squeezed; they are slapped, pinched, verbally abused, threatened, beaten, cut with knives, burned with cigarettes, and gang raped. [1] Victims of torture describe very similar acts. [2] And like victims of torture, prostitutes report injuries such as bruises, mouth and teeth injuries, vaginal bleeding, internal injuries, head injuries, and broken bones. [3] Moreover, these results are not limited to illegal prostitution. These results include prostitutes working in countries where prostitution is legal, in brothels with so-called "safety policies." [4]Prostitution also has psychological consequences. For example, prostitutes are at a heightened risk of depression, mania, suicidal thoughts, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders and chemical dependence. [1] Prostitutes report a sense of "splitting," of "leaving my body" or going "someplace else mentally." The result is a higher incidence of dissociative disorders. [5] Without surprise, prostitution also leads to a higher incidence of PTSD.The psychological damage stems from the act itself. Even women who choose to prostitute cannot avoid the trauma associated with constant sexual degradation, and with having one's body sold as a commodity. The psychological damage is often unconscious and manifests after-the-fact. Thus, no amount of "improvement" to the conditions of prostitution can eliminate its psychological consequences.2. Legalizing prostitution will not eliminate violence in prostitution.Rates of assault and rape against prostitutes remains extremely high even in countries that have legalized prostitution. [6] Legalization would draw thousands more women into prostitution without any demonstrable decrease in violence. For example, in European countries where prostitution has been legalized -- or had elements of prostitution legalized -- the number of prostitutes has more than doubled after legalization. [7] Yet violence towards these prostitutes has not decreased. In fact, studies have found that women working in brothels and other indoor facilities have less control because the owners control what sex acts they do and with whom. [1] Often, the result has been more violence towards prostitutes than in places where prostitution is legal. Legalization has been tried. It has not eliminated violence in prostitution. Sometimes, it has even led to more violence towards prostitutes. Thus, prostitution should not be legalized.3. Legalizing prostitution would increase human trafficking.We can all agree that human trafficking is bad. It poses serious health issues for women and girls worldwide, weakens the rule of law, and may even compromise international security.Studies have found that legalizing prostitution increases human trafficking. For example, a 2012 study published by World Development found that countries with legalized prostitution have higher human trafficking inflows than countries where prostitution is prohibited. [8] The International Organization of Migration attributed the rise in trafficking to the rise of prostitution in Europe. [9] And the U.S. Department of State recognized that legalized prostitution makes anti-trafficking work more difficult. [9]Everyone agrees that trafficking is a violation of basic human rights. But trafficking would not exist without prostitution. The two go hand-in-hand. Without dispute, all the empirical data we have suggests that legalization of prostitution leads to increased trafficking.4. Legalizing prostitution would perpetuate gender inequality.Prostitution is about men's control over women's sexuality. The prostitution industry exploits the economic, physical, and social weakness of women and children, in order to service men. To put it bluntly, legalized prostitution exists for the benefit of men. Which in turn ends up perpetuating gender inequality.Think about it this way: Prostitution is like female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is often represented as something that women choose, either for themselves or for their female children. Indeed, the practice is usually carried out by women alone. But does that make female genital mutilation okay? No. But why shouldn't female genital mutilation be legal if its carried out by women alone? Because like prostitution, female genital mutilation exists solely for the benefit of men. Male ideas of female sexuality are what underlie the practice, and it is those ideas that female genital mutilation attempts to satisfy.Prostitution perpetuates gender inequality in the same way that female genital mutilation perpetuates gender inequality. Degrading, patriarchal ideas of female sexuality underlie both practices. And both practices are thus an expression of men's control over women's sexuality.For all the above reasons, prostitution should be illegal.References:[1] Melissa Farley, "Prostitution in Five Countries: Violence and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," published in Feminism and Psychology.[2] "Nigerian women tortured by prostitution ring in Greece," Associated Press, August 15, 2005.[3] A Comparative Study of Women Trafficked in the Migration Process: Patterns, Profiles and Health Consequences of Sexual Exploitation in Five Countries, http://action.web.ca...[4] Patricia Hynes and Janice Raymond, "Put in Harms Way: The Neglected Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the United States."[5] C.A. Ross, M. Farley, and H.L. Schwartz, "Dissociation Among Women in Prostitution."[6] I. Vanwesenbeeck et al, "Professional HIV risk taking, levels of victimization, and well-being in female prostitutes in the Netherlands."[7] Joan Smith, "Why British men are rapists."[8] http://papers.ssrn.com...[9] J. Raymond, "Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution and a Legal Response to the Demand for Prostitution."

Prostitution should be legal Danger of Prostitution Prostitution is not without risk. The death rate of fisherman is 200. The homicide rate for prostitutes was 229. Murders of African American: 18-24: 102. (rates are per 100,000, per year) Sources: . http://jobs.aol.com... . http://www.feministcritics.org... . http://aje.oxfordjournals.org... In other words, being a prostitute is about as dangers as being a fisherman, and twice as dangerous as just being and African American male between the ages of 18 to 24. The homicide rate of prostitutes is likely to be exaggerated. The homicide rate of prostitutes was measured during the period 1967-1999 (32 years) during which overall homicide rates were higher. Also the sample sizeis small (117) and uses only samples from one town (Colorado Springs) that cannot represent all of the United States. The risks of illegal prostitution in Colorado is still relatively high. Prostitution can be safer. The only state in the USA where prostitution is legal is Nevada. A study about prostitution in Nevada brothels says: “Of more than 40 prostitutes we interviewed, from large and small, sub- urban and rural brothels across Nevada, only one reported any personal experience with violence in the brothels. ” “There is strong indication from the interview, document analysis, and ethnographic data presented here that legal brothels generally offer a safer working environment than their illegal counterparts. Regulated brothels offer particular ways of dealing with pragmatic safety issues and minimizing actual violence, including violence passed from johns to prostitutes and back to johns through diseases, viruses, and infections. Nevada brothels offer specific mechanisms to protect workers via the ways transactions are organized, the ways technology is ordered, the visibility of customers, the bureaucratic relationships among customers, managers, and workers, and the cooperation with police based on the mere fact of their legality. All of these mechanisms work to eliminate systematic violence and to discourage an atmosphere of danger and risk that, as a mirror image of fact, is significant. ” . http://esplerp.org... The publication below shows, that few clients asks for sex without condoms in Nevada Brothels, and no clients had penetrative sex without condoms: . http://ajph.aphapublications.org...; “Since those rules for Nevada brothels went into effect in 1988, the report said, there have been no cases of HIV infection and a negligible rate of STDs, the Los Angeles Times reports. ” Source: . http://www.huffingtonpost.com... The issue with “risks of promiscuity” seems misplaced. If condoms are always used, the probability of the ripping of a condom, one of the partners being infected by an STD, and one of the partners being infected by the others, are relatively small. It is not an unreasonable risk. So: Prostitution CAN be relatively safe, especially if it is legal. My opponent claims that the number of prostitutes grew tenfold in Germany after legalization. This number is probably fiction, at least I did not find this number in any of the references he gives (but perhaps he can point it out to me where he got this number from). Clearly, after legalization, prostitutes do not have to hide their profession. So this may cause an increase in the number of known prostitutes. But in any case, there is nothing wrong with prostitution, as long is it is practiced safely between two consenting adults. So an increase in prostitution should not be necessarily be considered as a bad thing, especially if legalization also makes it possible to make prostitution safer. New Zealand study The New Zealand study shows that legalization in New Zealand was a success. Let me rebut the criticisms of my opponent: CON wrote:1. There was a move from managed (brothel and escort) to private sector following decriminalization. Danger to sex workers from both violence and disease increase when the go from a “managed environment” to “private sector. ” – “Street-based workers were more likely . . . to report refusal of a client to pay, having had money stolen by a client, having been physically assaulted by a client, having been threatened by a client with physical violence, having been held against their will and having been raped in the last 12 months. ” Rebuttal: I think CON confuses the 3 categories. There is “managed environment” (like brothels etc. ), “private sector” (prostitutes working for themselves indoors) and “street prostitutes”. Street prostitutes is definitely more dangerous than “managed environment” and “private sector”, but there is not a big difference between “managed environment” and “private sector”. “Private workers reported moving into private work because it provided a safer working environment, where they could earn more and attract better clients. “ In other words, the move to private sector was a GOOD thing! It made them safer! !! CON wrote: 2. The sample was not a random. The majority of participants were white, “between the ages of 22 to 45 years, had entered the industry after age 18, and had education levels of at least three to five years at the secondary school level with many having tertiary levels of education” – the New Zealand study is irrelevant to our situation where our demographic is much different. Demographics: Maori (non-white) 31.7%, NZ European (white) 50.7%, Pacific Island (non-white) 5.1%, Other: 12.5%. So barely a majority is white. This is probably not much different in the USA. What do you mean not random? The age group, demographics, education simply reflects the demographics of the prostitutes of New Zealand. Studies like the one in New Zealand haven’t been done in the USA as far as I know. Because of the illegality it is difficult to get reliable surveys on prostitutes in the USA. I have no reason to assume that the age demographic is very different from that of New Zealand. CON wrote: Even with these survey participants, the picture is horrifying. For example- “87% of all survey participants have a regular doctor but only half of these participants disclose their occupation to their doctor. ” This means 13% have no doctor at all, and 51% have not told a doctor that they are in the sex trade. THIS IS AFTER LEGALIZATION! 87% is not bad (probably higher that the percentage of people in the USA with health care). Half of the prostitutes disclose their work with their primary care physician. But many of them get check-ups from other institutions as well. They get regularly checked for STD’s even if they don’t tell their primary care physician. Conclusion: Prostitution can be legalized in a way that makes work safer for prostitutions as the Nevada and New Zealand examples show. Opponents of legalized prostitution like to depict prostitutes as helpless victims. This is not the reality of prostitution. Most prostitutes choose their profession freely, and we should be allowed to do so. But in the end, the most important argument, in my opinion, is freedom. Two consenting adults should have the freedom to have sex in exchange for money. Government does not have the right to take away the livelihood of a sex worker.

Intemediate's Debate Competition R1: Prostitution Ought to Be Legalized. Good day TrueScotsman and fellow DDO members. I will now present my arguments. For the purposes of this debate, since a vast majority of prostitutes are female, I will refer to prostitutes using feminine pronouns and customers using masculine pronouns. No sexism intended. ========== I. Prostitution is a right and is inherently victimless. A. In the case of prostitution, both the supplier and the buyer have to consent. As rational adults, this right should not be taken away; people should be free to do with all their body parts as they wish. The Declaration of Independent states that all humans have the right to “life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness,” and the U.S. Constitution gives the people the right to peaceably assemble and conduct business, as well as the right to privacy [3]. Even if an event is not beneficial to society, as long as it doesn’t violate individual rights, there are still no grounds to ban it. Prostitution can be compared to plumbing; in the case of the prostitute, she uses her vagina to satisfy a customer in exchange for money; in the case of the plumber, he uses his toilet sucking skills to fix someone’s toilet in exchange for money. Prostitution is a profession that has risks and benefits, and can be taxed and regulated like any other profession. B. Most confusingly, pornography, or prostitution on cameras, is legal. If porn is legal, and is demonstrably victimless, then other sex work like prostitution can’t be considered any different. C. The main reason that prostitution is banned in the U.S. is not because it is inherently bad; it is because of the cultural stigma associated with religious beliefs that view sex as a taboo [4]. Religious “moral” reasons are no grounds to ban any profession. II. Decriminalizing prostitution reduces the negative impacts associated with it. Prostitution is said to be the “oldest profession”. The fact is, it’s one those things that is simply impossible to completely ban. 15% of men admit to having paid for sex [5], and more than 70 000 illegal prostitutes are arrested each year in the U.S. alone [6]. Yet, the state governments have opted to completely ban prostitution instead of putting regulations on it like boxing or MMA. A: legalizing decreases prostitute abuse: A large majority of prostitutes report abuse [7]. If prostitution was legal and regulated, abuses would be less frequent, since the johns know they can be prosecuted under the law. Legalizing prostitution would also reduce rape, because sex is more readily available. “A study conducted in Queensland... show[ed] a 149% increase in the rate of rape when legal brothels were closed in 1959…” [8] B: Reduce pimping and human trafficking rates: A majority of prostitutes are forced into their profession by pimps [9], and 80% wish to get out of prostitution [7]. These pimps use force and abuse to traffic women into unfamiliar territory and manipulate them into becoming sex workers. If prostitution became legal, these pimps would no longer have a market, and there would be a lower demand for sex slaves; instead, all sexual activity would be directed toward better regulated brothels. An analogy could again be made to plumbers. Imagine a certain country in which plumbing is illegal despite the high demand. If people wanted their pipework fixed, they had to do so through illegal means. Since few people would want to do something that is illegal, crime bosses force people to become plumbers; these forced workers would be inhumane as well as charge more money. On the other hand, if plumbing were legalized, more people would legally do it, and plumbing would have no shares on the black market. Legal prostitutes will have better opportunities to switch out of their profession, unlike illegal prostitutes. Legalizing prostitution would also free up time for law enforcement to deal with the human trafficking, the real problem; trafficked girls who are forced into prostitution would also have a better incentive to speak up to authorities, since they would no longer be penalized for their work. Even if the government fails to detect illegally trafficked sex workers, the life quality of these sex workers would still be better because of the other regulations on prostitution that do not involve trafficking. C: STD rates: Only 6-8% of all STDs in the U.S. are related to prostitution [7]. Most STDs are spread by general promiscuity. Legalizing prostitution would provide better avenues for regulating health and cleanliness, such as requiring frequent STD tests and condoms, thereby reducing the rate at which STDs are spread. “In one Australian study carried out in 1998, the prevalence of sexually transmitted bacterial infections was 80 times greater in 63 illegal street prostitutes than in 753 of their legal brothel counterparts” [10]. Banning prostitution can be compared to Prohibition. Prohibition failed, so there is little reason to think that continuing to ban prostitution will succeed. III. Prostitution increases utility. A: Customer satisfaction: Humans are among the only animals to have sex for fun. Studies show that having sex increases happiness; in fact, Blanchflower and Oswald finds that “sexual activity enter strongly positively in happiness equations,” (not to be confused with affection or human companionship) even more so than money [11]. Prostitution is a perfectly legitimate source of sex. Economics tell us that selling sexual service from one reasonable and consenting adult to another must be usually beneficial for both parties, or else the transaction would not occur. B: Profit: $200 million are spent per year busting the underground sex industry [12], while $18 billion of untaxable and uncirculated money are generated by the sex black market. The city of Amsterdam makes $100 million off of prostitution alone, and that’s just ONE city. [13]. $10 million are collected in taxes Nevada brothels [14]. The sex industry would generate tax revenue in the tens of billions for the U.S. government if legalized. Prostitution could fund NASA. Summary: I. Renting one’s body is a right. II. Decriminalization will decrease abuse of women, sex slavery, and STDs. III. Prostitution is a utility increasing job. ========== [3] http://www.archives.gov... [4] http://www.gallup.com... [5] http://abcnews.go.com... [6] http://www.pnas.org... [7] http://sex-crimes.laws.com... [8] Reichmann, Linda M. Rio. “Psychological and Sociological Research and the Decriminalization or Legalization of Prostitution”. 1991. [9] http://www.fbi.gov... [10] Loff, Bebe; Gaze, Elizabeth; Fairley, Christopher. “Prostitution, Public Health, and Human-Rights Law”. 2000. [11] http://www.dartmouth.edu... [12] http://www.11points.com... (This source may be unreliable, and is unconfirmed by official statistics.) [13] http://money.msn.com... [14] http://www.jour.unr.edu...

Prostitution Should Be Legal The war on prostitution

Prostitution Should Be Legal Extend

Prostitution Should Be Legal Extend

Prostitution Should Be Legal Morality of Prostitution

prostitution I would hope that all viewers of this debate would judge on argumentation rather than personal opinion. Even though this usually doesn't come through to all, I feel better stating it. .. Now onto the debate: A) Prostitution is always going to exist. -No matter what we do, no matter how many laws we make or consequences we set forth, you will see that prostitution will always be around. B) By making prositituion legal, more people will be protected. -Look to the government here. Everytime they legalize something that could be considered bad (like alcohol), you will see that the use of it actually is much more prudent. Just like the abolition of alchohol, the abolition of prostitution has simply made people upset. Therefore, there is one more reason to do prostitution, to get 'back' at the government. Finally, you will see that if we can make regulations on prostitution rather than outlawing it, that when someone doesn't pay a prostitution, that they can go to the police rather than not eating for a week. Or when a jerk beats the living snot out of a prostitute, that they can go to the police rather than do nothing at all. But most importantly, there can FINALLY be a system of medically checking people for STD's and deadly diseases to prevent the negligent spread of these unnecessary diseases. C) Prostitution is the choice of the woman and man. -Why are we trying to prevent two people, from something they both obviously want to do (EG: make money and have sex). .. Trying to outlaw this, simply ticks people off to an extensive degree, which actually furthers this act. But moreover, how does it affect you if a prostitute does anything? If you don't want to be a part of it, then don't. I certainly consider it something that I don't want to be a part of but in America, I feel it my obligation to allow other people to make the choice for themself rather than me make the choice for them. ================================================= Off my opponents only argument thus far: Economy--> An economy with prostitutes is actually BETTER than an economy without them. The money people spend, the more the money flows around the system. Essentially, the more people that spend money, the better the economy is. But also, you must recognize that people who are prostitutes are likely on welfare (since they don't have an official job). So do you really want your tax dollars to go to someone who is making more money than you anyway? In the end, prostitution is a choice. Prostitution will always exist, therefore, if we were to continue this abolition of it, more people will actually get harmed. But finally, the economy is increased by making prostitution legal.

Prostitution should be legalized Prostitution is the oldest profession. It is not exactly the noblest or most favorable occupation but I think that it should be legalized for the sake of making it safer and taxable. One only needs to look back at alcohol prohibition to see the negative implications that the criminalization of prostitution or any other activity of vice can attribute. Because prostitution is criminal, it is controlled by criminals, which gives rise to abuse and human trafficking. If prostitution was mainstreamed, regulated, and had an acceptable quality control, it could be one of the most profitable industries of American economy. Since it is illegal and unregulated, prostitution is extremely risky for all involved parties and criminals are the only people who benefit. Ron Paul once said that if you made heroin legal tomorrow, people wouldn't uncontrollably run out and do heroin. The same is true of prostitution. It wouldn't suddenly become something every girl wants to do as a job and every male indeed will partake. Legalization would reduce communicable disease in this country and increase economic stimulation.

Prostitution should be illegal. Prostitution should be illegal for three reasons: (1) prostitution causes irreparable physical and psychological harms, (2) legalizing prostitution will not eliminate violence in prostitution, and (3) prostitution increases human trafficking.Prostitution causes irreparable physical and psychological harms.The average life span for prostitutes is four years. No other population of women has a higher death rate. [1] Many prostitutes are murdered. Those that aren’t experience an extensive catalog of violence. Their hair is pulled, faces ejaculated on; they are slapped, pinched, verbally abused, threatened, beaten, cut with knives, burned with cigarettes, and gang raped. [1] Victims of torture describe similar acts. [2] And like victims of torture, prostitutes report injuries like bruises, mouth and teeth injuries, vaginal bleeding, internal injuries, head injuries, and broken bones. [3]Prostitution also has psychological consequences. For example, prostitutes are at a heightened risk of depression, mania, suicidal thoughts, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders and chemical dependence. [1] Prostitutes report a sense of "splitting," of "leaving my body" or going "someplace else mentally." The result is a higher incidence of dissociative disorders. [5] Prostitution also leads to a higher incidence of PTSD.The psychological damage stems from the act itself. Even women who choose to prostitute cannot avoid the trauma associated with constant sexual degradation, and with having one's body sold as a commodity. Indeed, the psychological damage is often unconscious and manifests after-the-fact. Thus, no amount of "improvement" to the conditions of prostitution can eliminate its psychological consequences.These results are not limited to illegal prostitution. Even prostitutes working in countries where prostitution is legal, in brothels with so-called “safety policies,” experience this extensive catalog of physical and psychological violence. [4]Legalizing prostitution will not eliminate violence in prostitution.Violence against prostitutes remains extremely high even in countries that legalize prostitution. [6] For example, in European countries where prostitution has been legalized -- or had elements of prostitution legalized -- the number of prostitutes has more than doubled after legalization. Yet violence towards these prostitutes has not decreased. [7] That highlights one of the major problems with legalization: it causes more women to prostitute, which in turn causes overall violence against women to increase. Studies have also shown that violence against women has actually increased in many “legal” brothels with “safety policies.” [1] [4]Legalizing prostitution will increase human trafficking.Human trafficking is bad. It poses serious health issues for women and girls worldwide, weakens the rule of law, and may even compromise international security.Studies have found that legalizing prostitution increases human trafficking. A 2012 study published by World Development found that countries with legalized prostitution have higher human trafficking inflows than countries where prostitution is prohibited. [8] The International Organization of Migration attributed the rise in trafficking to the rise of prostitution in Europe. [9] And the U.S. Department of State recognized that legalized prostitution makes anti-trafficking work more difficult. [9]Everyone agrees that trafficking is a violation of basic human rights. But trafficking would not exist without prostitution. The two go hand-in-hand. All empirical data suggests that legalizing prostitution increases trafficking.References:[1] Melissa Farley, "Prostitution in Five Countries: Violence and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," http://fap.sagepub.com...;[2] "Nigerian women tortured by prostitution ring in Greece," Associated Press, http://www.highbeam.com...[3] A Comparative Study of Women Trafficked in the Migration Process: Patterns, Profiles and Health Consequences of Sexual Exploitation in Five Countries, http://www.oas.org...[4] Patricia Hynes and Janice Raymond, "Put in Harms Way: The Neglected Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the United States.” [5] C.A. Ross, M. Farley, and H.L. Schwartz, "Dissociation Among Women in Prostitution."[6] I. Vanwesenbeeck et al, "Professional HIV risk taking, levels of victimization, and well-being in female prostitutes in the Netherlands," http://business.highbeam.com...[7] Joan Smith, "Why British men are rapists," http://www.newstatesman.com...[8] http://papers.ssrn.com...[9] J. Raymond, "Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution and a Legal Response to the Demand for Prostitution,” http://www.catwinternational.org...

Prostitution should be legal Pro begins round 3 with the illogical statement: (grammar mistakes quoted exactly) “being a prostitute is about as dangers as being a fisherman.” This is either an intentional attempt to mislead, or a poor understanding of math and statistics. He states that the homicide rate for prostitutes is 200 and then tries to compare that to the death rate for fisherman. A true comparison would be the homicide rate of prostitutes to the homicide rate for fisherman or the death rate for prostitutes to the death rate for fishermen. I would have more sympathy for this error if PRO had not misquoted the facts so obviously. Death rate by homicide in active prostitutes was 229[1], but the overall death rate (CMR) was 459. Compare this to the CMR for USA (9) or Canadian (8) general population.[2] This makes a prostitute 50 times more likely to die than an average citizen. I was surprised to learn that “Homicide is the second leading cause of death on the job for workers in the United States.”[3] The major factors were listed in the study as “ contact with the public; exchange of money; and working alone, at night, or in high-crime areas are risk factors for workplace homicide Several studies also report high rates of homicide associated with taxicab services, grocery stores, convenience stores, bars, nightclubs, and gasoline stations.” There is also a strong link to ethnicity of both the individual AND their fellow workers. These factors would not change by simply legalizing prostitution. PRO continues argue for the safety of legalized prostitution based on anecdotal (the worst kind) evidence[4] Prostitutes, clients and managers were interviewed– This is the kind of background work you do before designing a scientific study. Included in this study were quotes like “Panic buttons are a joke . . . usually they’re across the room, but if you can get across the room you can get out the door.” This was from a “study” claiming the safety merits of legalized brothel prostitution. Let me recap why Prostitution should NOT be legal Simply allowing the sale of sex for money will not remove the problems of prostitution. Because this is a state (not federal) issue in the US, the laws that grow up around prostitution will be a patchwork of local and state regulations that encourage sex trafficking and other criminal activity. We use legislation to protect society, and the dangers of prostitution merit tighter laws and more enforcement to keep people from getting into sex trades too easily. There are many health issues of promiscuity. These are not only issues for sex workers, but for their customers, and for the intimate partners of those customers. The best way to limit harm is to keep prostitution illegal, and to find more effective methods of enforcement. Prostitution has many links to organized crime and illegal drug use. These ties will not simply disappear if prostitution were legalized. This would give more money laundering opportunities to criminal enterprise. In The US the average age of entry into street prostitution is 12-14 years.[5] Sex slavery and sex trafficking are a core part of prostitution, even in countries like Germany where it is legal. Legalization only makes the numbers larger. We have legislation to protect the vulnerable. There are age restrictions for alcohol and tobacco. Many drugs are prohibited completely. Speed limits are enforced. In Prostitution, the dangers to the workers and their clients are so high (and there are no benefits) that it needs to be completely prohibited. The prohibition against men taking advantage of women by making them prostitutes is ancient,[6] and there is no reason to think society will get better by legalizing prostitution. As the USA moves towards universal health care and socialized medicine there is an even bigger need to reduce, not increase, prostitution. As the taxpayer ends up paying the cost for medical care of prostitutes and their clients you will pay a huge cost for legalized prostitution. “Prostitutes health care needs exceed those of most other women.”[7] Not only is there a high price to pay for medical treatment of prostitutes, but most sexually transmitted diseases have an incubation period where the disease is infectious, but not yet diagnosed. This makes the transfer to client and coworkers a danger as well. New strains of multi drug resistant STDs are appearing among prostitutes who use antibiotics “just in case”. [8] [9] “The rapid spread was associated with transmission in high risk individuals (that is, prostitutes and their clients).” This was in the Netherlands where prostitution is legal and carefully controlled. In Germany the legalization of prostitution did exactly what would be expected. The number of prostitutes went up, and the price of a prostitute’s service went down. Homicide rates went up. Incidents of violence increased. Human Trafficking increased. These are not good for society or individuals. Pro states that prostitution should be legalized. He wants us to work hard to change our laws so that more harm can come to more people. His position would increase costs to the taxpayer. (for the possible benefit of lowering the cost of a prostitute) There is no good reason to legalize prostitution. There are many good reasons to increase enforcement. Vote CON [1] http://aje.oxfordjournals.org... [2] http://data.worldbank.org... [3] http://aje.oxfordjournals.org... [4] http://esplerp.org... [5] http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org... [6] http://www.biblegateway.com... [7] http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu... [8] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... [9] http://sti.bmj.com...

Legalization of Prostitution Prostitution is consensual and is a business which women and their customers all are on board with. 1. Legalization would make sex workers healthier. Workers may be pressured into not using condoms or protection from their pimps/masters. With this act legalized, it would require the workers and pimps to test for diseases and overall keep them healthier. The United Nations also released a statement (UN): "Criminalization increases vulnerability to HIV by fueling stigma and discrimination, limiting access to HIV and sexual health services, condoms and harm reduction services, and adversely affecting the self-esteem of sex workers and their ability to make informed choices about their health." 2. Prostitution is usually a victim-less "crime:" With all parties consensual, it is a completely accepted business with all people. Why should the government take that away? 3. Economy can Benefit: This business can be used to collect tax revenue, leading to the government making PROFIT from this decision. 4. Having it criminalized does not stop it from happening. Think about it, even though drugs are illegal criminals still find a way to gain access to them. Why not just make it beneficial to all parties and legalize it? We should. Sources: http://www.businessinsider.com...

Prostitution should be legal in the United States Prostitution So many ways it is performed, and so many ways it is perceived. Both by those who have nothing to do with the industry and by those actively involved. We need to place a paramount perspective that in all business that business is PEOPLE. As American citizens, there are rights we are given solely by "being alive." The stigma and negative connotation of anything that involves the "profane" has always existed. We may never see true equality among men and women, but this [prostitution] is something that extends beyond American borders. We may have varying opinion on what "prostitution" is/isn"t " with this segue I want to introduce a United Nations 2000 "Protocol to Prevent, Supress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime" to explain that prostitution can NOT be "human trafficking" if this industry is legalized, regulated, taxed and incorporated into our economic structure. The UN convened that, "'Trafficking in persons' shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs." None of these can exist in a legitimate/legal business enterprise. It is for the overall benefit for the PEOPLE in this industry that I take this stance that "America should legalize prostitution." My arguments are going to revolved around the only information available (in America) to discuss the projected changes by applying the "Nevada brothel model" to this industry (as it is already LEGAL in these United States " similar to any "legalize marijuana" argument.) I believe this comparison allows for a clearer understanding on the contrast within this country when it comes to handling prostitution as a business, and when it is a "street crime." The 5 points for my case in the affirmative for "America should legalize prostitution" are: A1-Increase health, safety, and labor rights/regulations for those working in this industry A2-Economic benefits A3-Reallocates law enforcement persons and resources towards actual threats against citizens A4-Reduction of violence against women And my final point: A5-It is the oldest profession that will NEVER go away A1 - Illegal street prostitutes might face pressure from pimps and Johns to forgo condoms. But states that legalize prostitution can require sex workers to use condoms and get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Sex workers in Nevada must get monthly tests for syphilis and HIV and weekly tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Nevada also requires condoms for all sex in brothels. This law is posted on the outside of the state's brothels, according to the paper by Barbara Brents and Kathryn Hausbeck of the University of Nevada. "All of the women we interviewed were passionate about expressing their support for these law. For example, they insisted that they always use condoms, whether the client prefers to or not," the report stated. Making sex work a crime can drive prostitutes underground and make them less likely to practice safe sex and get tested for sexually transmitted disease. An April 2012 study by the Urban Justice Center found that New York City cops were using condoms found on women as evidence in criminal prostitution cases against them. It's easy to imagine how this practice might deter sex workers from carrying protection. The United Nations Development Programme published a report last year on illegal sex work in Asia and the Pacific that highlighted just how damaging the criminalization of sex work can be to women's health. Here's what it said: Criminalization increases vulnerability to HIV by fueling stigma and discrimination, limiting access to HIV and sexual health services, condoms and harm reduction services, and adversely affecting the self-esteem of sex workers and their ability to make informed choices about their health. Legally employed people in America get rights like a minimum wage, freedom from discrimination, and a safe work environment. Since prostitutes don't work legally, they don't get any of those rights. The United Nations Development Programme's report on sex work in Asia and the Pacific highlighted why it's problematic when sex workers don't have legal rights. "Sex workers in all countries of the region except New Zealand and the state of New South Wales (Australia) lack the labour rights afforded to other workers, including the legal right to a safe and healthy workplace and to reasonable terms and conditions of employment ... Labour laws and social security laws that do not recognize sex work as legitimate work contribute to stigma and marginalization of sex workers." A2 - While brothels in Nevada pay no state taxes, they pay "significant amounts of tax" to the rural counties where they do business, according to The New York Times. (Nevada Republicans blocked a plan a couple of years ago to subject brothels to state taxes, as they didn't want schools and other state services funded by sex work.) Illegal prostitution businesses in America, of course, pay no taxes. If those brothels were legalized, then state and county governments could gain significant revenue. "Let government share in the revenue, but otherwise stay out of the affairs of consenting adults," MSNBC political analyst Michael Smerconish has written. A3 - The investigation into notorious John, and former New York governor, Eliot Spitzer is a perfect example of how costly it can be to probe sophisticated prostitution rings. "In this case, they wiretapped 5,000 phone conversations, intercepted 6,000 emails, used surveillance and undercover tactics that are more appropriate for trapping terrorists than entrapping Johns," famed Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz wrote in the Wall Street Journal. Dershowitz has also told MSNBC's Michael Smerconish, "Every hour spent going after prostitution is an hour that could have been spent going after terrorists and going after people who victimize." A4 - Prostitutes in America (mostly women) are vulnerable to violence from customers and pimps. A study of San Francisco prostitutes found that 82% had been assaulted and 68% had been raped while working as prostitutes. Another study of prostitutes in Colorado Springs found they were 18 times more likely to be murdered than non-prostitutes their age and race. Prostitutes who experience violence may be reluctant to call the cops since what they're doing is illegal. Sex workers in licensed brothels, on the other hand, can have somebody to back them up, according to a paper by Barbara Brents and Kathryn Hausbeck of the University of Nevada. Brents and Hausbeck interviewed brothel owners and made these observations: Brothel owners have a clear interest in maintaining their image as law-abiding, trouble-free businesses to keep their licenses and maintain good relations within their communities. The owners we interviewed ensure this by making it policy to call the police at the slightest hint of trouble to send a message that they don"t tolerate bad behavior. "The whole name of the game is control. But that control also makes us get along pretty well with the sheriff"s office," one owner told the researchers. "There are two reasons for doing it, one, the sheriff"s office, but also the girls" personal safety." The study concluded that "brothels offer the safest environment available for women to sell consensual sex acts for money." A5 - There will always be lonely or kinky men in America who will pay for sex, and there will always be women willing to rent out their bodies. As the anthropologist Patty Kelly has written in the Los Angeles Times, prostitution has become a "part of our culture" in the United States. We legalize and regulate a ton of commerce that's morally controversial " like gambling, alcohol, tobacco, lap-dancing, and pornography. Yes, women can be coerced into prostituting themselves. But we're not helping them by making consenting sex work a crime. Closing Observation " Again, it is already legal in a specified territory in this country and it is an industry that has been around since the beginning, and will last for as long as "we crave sex" and continue to live in a "depressed social state." The merits of "morality" are not concreted to keep this industry illegal as the true "moral compass" of America is freedom/civil liberties/representation/at will employment (which only happens once people are not deemed "criminals" and are able to live the life of their choosing. By legalizing prostitution, we are supporting the free market capital principles of American economics. We do not need anymore people incarcerated in our over populated prisons that have not committed any acts of violence. As mentioned, the ones who are at the highest threat of violence are the workers themselves. As Americans we owe it to the other American citizens to have their rights (as PEOPLE) protected as equally as any other person. And by all this - this is why America should legalize prostitution.

Legalization has benefits for society Legalizing prostitution would unleash forces that exploit vulnerable women and men for profit.  People with the means to buy sexual access to others would be able to exploit those who are poor, young, or inexperienced.  By legalizing prostitution, society endorses impersonal and promiscuous sexual relations that damage individuals and families. The resources we allocate to protect vulnerable citizens from sexual exploitation, and to uphold the values of sexual commitment, loyalty, and responsibility, are well spent, and the foundation of a healthy social order.

Prostitution Should Be Legal Prostitution is responsible for preventing some incidence of sex crime.

Prostitution Should Be Legal Taxation

Prostitution should be legalized On to Contention 1: It is important to note that today's illegal prostitution rings have no laws regulating the protection of prostitutes. The PTSD, and STD's can be avoided by having legitimate brothels that protect the women. No beatings or such could take place in a protected environment, reducing significantly the chances of mental disorders. By legalizing Prostitution you are not bringing along the crime, corruption, or trafficking because there are know legitimate institutions. Employers hire their employees just like any other business and have interest in ensuring their continued health and productivity. Contention 2: This contention does not really prove anything. The same lazy student could simply try a life of crime or other "easy" jobs. Those who work hard and wish to succeed are always going to do better over over the pot-smoking lazy student who drops out. The drop-out may also turn to prostitution anyway- by legalizing it you are now better protecting that drop-out. Contention 3: This contention merely assumes that the government would be the owner of the brothels. If the brothels were privately-owned the business owner would pay for the monthly check-ups as part of their operating costs and import that in the price of their product. In that way the spread of STD's is still countered without a lot of extra cost. I contend that: Contention I: That prostitution is good for the economy. Prostitution is good for the economy for several reasons. First, it takes a previously illegal industry and legalizes it, opening the way for tax revenue which will help the government. It would provide low-skill people with a chance to work, and it will offer new business opportunity's for business owners. Contention II: Legalizing the Prostitution increases the Public Health. The prevalence among STD's in prostitutes today is a direct result of an illegal industry with no standards. Assuming the legalization of Prostitution one could argue that is would be in the Brothel's best interest to have their employees be healthy, both to offer a better product and ensure continue productivity. A client is very likely to pay more for a clean prostitute over one that is carrying an STD. In this respect the public health would be increased as STD's among this profession would be less common. Contention III: That the legalization of Prostitution cuts down on crime. Legalizing Prostitution cuts down on crime in several ways. Firstly prostitution would itself no longer be a crime, and prostitutes or their clients could no longer be arrested. Secondly, the secondary crime that is common with proposition such as drugs, abuse and the like would be dramatically decreased with legalization.

Should prostitution be legal Prostitution should be legal for a lot of reasons. A good example of prostitution working in a civil society is the Netherlands. Prostitution has been legal for years in this country and the people has benefitted from the tax revenue generated from prostitution. Many people say prostitution should be illegal for religious or moral reasons. This is a false premise to ban prostitution. The urge for sexual reproduction is inherent in all men. Those men who lack the skills or time to court women and engage in sex should not be denied their sexual instincts because the government deciding prostitution is illegal. Some argue that prostitution is derisive to the women who work in the industry. Allegedly many legal prostitutes are forced into their work and have no choice in the matter. The Dutch engineered a solution to this by providing social services and protection to the prostitutes working in the country's many red-light districts. If a Dutch night walker feels under pressure from a pimp and not acting under her own choice she would have many resources available to her. In a country with illegal prostitution these options do not exist. In Sweden the government has tried to fight illegal prostitution by prosecuting the men caught in the act rather than the hussy. Then they offer the call girls alternative education opportunities to reeducate them and reintegrate them into moral society. The man on the other hand must endure the difficult legal process and face the possibility of paying fines and doing community service/Jail time. While it is not surprising the Swedish socialist government would opt for such an extreme measure it nevertheless highlights why neither side of the exchange should be punished for paid sexual favors. While many men enjoy a good go-around with a slankpop once in a while we should still raise our children to avoid such behavior.

Prostitution should be Legal Prostitution is a victimless crime. When all goes well (i.e. there is no violence) neither the john nor the prostitute is victimized. I think we can agree on this. If we cannot, please correct me in your response, and we will discuss accordingly. However, there are lots of horrendous cases of violence between the client and service provider (but I will get to that later). If all goes well, no one gets hurt. Thus, it is not an immoral practice because questions about ethics and morality relate to the happiness and unhappiness of beings that have the potential to feel such happiness and unhappiness. I have no ethical need to interfere when I see a plant destroyed. However, if I saw that a human was about to be crushed, I would have an ethical need to interfere. Therein, seeing that prostitution causes no harm to sentient creatures in its most innocent form, the laws and the enforcement of such laws in our country represent a massive waste of human energy. Campaigning against something that causes no harm to sentient creatures is quite foolish and is a massive waste of time and energy. We would not reasonably campaign against the eating of salad. Now, of course, the above shows only why prostitution in its most innocent form (no violence) is not immoral. Clearly, those who commit violent crimes against prostitutes are not moral people and the situations that arise because of them are quite tragic. Also, these situations are quite common. According to law.com, 204 prostitutes are murdered out of every 100,000. This is 20 times the national average. The average prostitute is beat no less than once a month. So, what are we to do to prevent these innocent but desperate people? What I propose to counter this is something like Amsterdam's red light zone. Prostitutes provide their services in a neighborhood specifically designed for such. They work in a building that is not their home, so potentially violent customers do not know where they live. Perhaps most importantly, there is an alarm button which immediately calls the police over if there is any sign of trouble. This would almost effectively eliminate all of the violence committed against prostitutes. In the system we currently have, prostitution is done in back alleys and places with no police thus the opportunity for violence is high. This, of course, leads to high levels of violence against them, but we can stop it via legalization. Another argument for legalization of prostitution is it would decrease the amount of STDs passed via prostitutes. The same study on laws.com that was mentioned earlier states that 50% of the world's prostitutes have HIV. Of course, since their profession is illegal, no prostitute is going to get a doctor to get tested for an STD. We should have, nationally, a system like we have in Nevada. A prostitute is required by law to wear a condom, and they must be tested weekly for STDs. Thus, legalizing prostitution will help hinder the currently massive growth of sexually transmitted diseases. The proof of this is the effectiveness of the Nevada system at stopping STDs. The porn stars of Los Angeles have higher rates of STDs than Nevadan prostitutes. A Nevadan prostitute has not been diagnosed with HIV since 1986. Compare that with the shocking figure of fifty percent, and it is easy to see why prostitution should be legalized. Just to be clear, what I suggest is a combination of the rigorous testing of Nevada and the red-light district of Amsterdam. Prostitutes would work in specific zones, have a button that would summons police immediately if the client is in any way doing something harmful. There would be no abusive pimp or middleman between client and servicer. This system would effectively end almost all of the violence against prostitutes, inhibit STDs, and free up manpower wasted on Vice departments in police to be used for the pursuit of actual criminals. Sources http://www.businessinsider.com... http://prostitution.procon.org... http://www.huffingtonpost.com... http://sex-crimes.laws.com...

Prostitution ought to be legalized Do women have the agency to decide for themselves whether or not they are willing to accept money for the sex acts required? This is not a rhetorical question- I expect an answer from my opponent. If she says yes, then that means that I win this debate, as it is simply a voluntary market transaction, making it victimless, and she has greatly weakened her case. If she says no, then congratulations, she has just claimed that half of the world’s population is incapable of making decisions for themselves. It is important to note, however, that the “no” answer is the logical conclusion to be drawn from her case. She’s claiming that women shouldn’t be able to decide for themselves what they do with their own bodies, which they have full ownership over, because she personally sees it as bad. So it is important to attack my opponent’s argument for what it really is- a case for why women should decide against being prostitutes, but not for why it should be illegal. She says that the woman’s body is commodified once money enters the equation. That’s true, but this goes back to my original point about self-sovereignty. At a fundamental level, before we own anything else, we own ourselves, and we have ownership over our own bodies. When you own something, you have every right to make money off of it. Maybe a woman shouldn’t become a prostitute, but that line of reasoning is non-topical and is no reason to legally restrict a woman’s ability to be a prostitute, especially given the fact that she has rights that ought to be respected. And of course, that all goes back to the patriarchal view that some people ought to be able to forbid women from doing what they want to with their own bodies because they morally oppose what those women do with their own bodies. So to go down that road, if a prostitute were to engage in sex for money with a man, what effect would that have on my opponent? What effect would that have on the readers of this debate? It would have absolutely none, because this is simply a voluntary transaction between consenting parties, much like any other market transaction. Essentially what this means is that no matter what moral opposition one may have against prostitution, it gives no real reason to make it illegal, because nobody is harmed based on what the prostitute and customer decided to do. This being said, much of my opponent’s logic holds, but only insofar as it means that women should largely decide against prostitution. What is important to remember here, however, is that the law is not the women. The law should not decide for the women what they ought to do, because the law should understand the fundamental fact that these individual women are more than capable of deciding for themselves what they want to do with their own bodies. Additionally, my opponent acts as though keeping prostitution illegal will eliminate prostitution. In my previous round’s intro, I pointed that out as a fallacious assumption- regardless of whether or not prostitution is legal, prostitution is still going to be a large industry. The only real difference with regards to physical consequences when prostitution is made legal is that women now have a safer environment to work in when they decide to work in the legal sector. Rapes are now actually punished, and STD spread is reduced. To refute my point about rape punishment, my opponent claims that making it legal would still discourage rape reporting, as the rape reporting would reduce the prostitute’s market value. While that could potentially be true, it will still lead to substantially more rape reporting because a disincentive was removed. With prostitution being illegal, prostitutes will not report their rapes because they do not want to risk punishment. Legalizing prostitution removes that risk of punishment, making it so the most substantial disincentive against rape reporting is now a moot point, and that some rapists will actually be held accountable for their crimes, making prostitute rape less likely. To refute my point about STD spread, my opponent tries to claim that the contention relied on the complete removal of illegal prostitution, which is simply not true. If even just a quarter of the industry were regulated, then the spread of STDs would go down. The majority of the industry, however, would now be legal, would be regulated, and would therefore mean that we would have a reduction of STD spread. Additionally, my opponent’s rationale for how getting the majority of the market regulated would lead to the illegal sector increasing is not explained. I would ask her to explain why next round, because that runs totally counter to common sense. To address my point about political/economic costs, she simply argues that “If prostitution causes widespread exploitation, rape, violence and viscious crimes against humanity- tax dollars should definitely be used to stop it. That is what we pay tax for, for the safety of our citizens.” That’s great, and I could totally get on board with that- if it were true that prostitution causes “widespread exploitation, rape, violence, and vicious crimes against humanity.” This is an instance where the prohibition of the act is exactly what makes those things happen. It makes rape happen more often because it makes it punishable for a prostitute to report her rape. It makes violence more common because the prostitute cannot report her boss or customers for being abusive towards her. And I would say that it is a vicious crime against humanity to claim that half of the world’s population is incapable of making decisions for themselves over what they fundamentally own. In legalizing prostitution, we actually reduce those problems, because remember, prostitution is not going to stop regardless of its legal status. However, we can’t regulate it unless it’s legal, and if we can regulate it, we can make it safer. So to sum all that up, if legalizing prostitution actually reduces or solves for those problems, it seems like it would make sense, by my opponent’s logic, to legalize it. And why not make some money on it to pay for valuable services like education or healthcare, rather than just punish people who really shouldn’t be punished? We can make it safer for the prostitutes and the customers by regulating it, so to answer the original question posed in the debate, which was “should people be punished for this action that they do anyway?” it seems pretty basic that the answer would be a resounding “No.” They have ownership over their bodies, so they have every right to exchange money for sex. We can reduce rape by making it something that actually has the potential to be punished, and, in legalizing prostitution, we can actually make it a safe environment for them, instead of an environment run by violent pimps, policemen, and customers. We can make it an environment where a prostitute can switch her place of employment without fear of violence by angry pimps, therefore giving her control over her situation. Additionally, it leaves low-skills women with a higher paying path than a minimum wage job, meaning that if she so desires, she does not have to be restricted to the minimum wage job option, as she had been before. That point was left completely unaddressed by my opponent, and that should be noted by the voters. So to sum this up, my opponent gives a lot of lovely reasons for why a woman should decide against being a prostitute, but they really just don’t hold up as reasons for why prostitution should be illegal. I, however, have all of the impacts on my side. I have a reduction of rape, violence, and STD spread. I have women’s ability to make choices for themselves on my side. She has her “moral high ground.” I believe it is clear which side of this debate would make an actual positive change for society.Thank you to Cermank and the readers, and I look forward to the next round.

Prostitution Should be Legalized Thank you. You have brought up good points. Arguments: Prostitution is basically personalized pornography[2]. Pornography is good for you[1], and perfectly legal, making the it seem unfair that prostitution is illegal. In fact, it would be legal if any of the parties filmed it and distributed the video. There are a few apparent contradictions with the law here. Prostitutes are also similar to promiscuous people, with the exception of the fee. It is pretty much unavoidable that there are going to be people who sleep with strangers and enjoy it, and it should be allowed if they want to make money off of it. If prostitution were government regulated, it could be the new lottery. What I mean is it would bring in thousands upon thousand of tax dollars each year[8], helping our US government pay off its huge debt[9]. The Declaration of Independence tries to give citizens the right to the pursuit of happiness[3]. This may be a stretch, but it still stands that if prostituting yourself makes you happy and is something you enjoy, you shouldn"t be prevented from doing it. Rebuttals: "It promotes children to be trafficked" In fact, it would do quite the opposite. Children being trafficked, especially for sex, is terrible and unfortunately happens very often[4]. However, they're an easier target because children are not as smart or strong as adults and therefore more vulnerable. If prostitution were legal, there would be more willing adults in the business, causing the demand for child trafficking to dive[5]. It would also decrease human trafficking in general[6]. "Most of the prostitutes are victims" Right now that is true. But like I mentioned, if it were legal, there would be ore willing participants and thus a much lower demand for people to be forced into prostitution against their will. In a world without sex trafficking, prostitution would be a victimless crime[5]. "Whether or not it's legal, it's still a dangerous job" There will always be risks, as there are with any profession. Making prostitution legal will decrease these risks. Nevada was the first state in the US to legalize prostitution. They have very smart laws set to keep their workers safe that could not be enforced if prostitution were considered a crime. The employees are given monthly STD tests, have a "safety button" in the case of a client getting too aggressive, and brothels can"t seek to recruit new prostitutes[7]. Quotes[10]: 1 If nobody wants to sell sex, it is a crime to force anyone to do so. But when men or women do want to sell their bodies, they should have that full right without encountering punishment or discrimination. If the client behaves decently, the relationship between the sex buyer and the sex seller must be considered a purely private transaction. " NILS JOHAN RINGDAL, Love For Sale 2 "The obscenities of this country are not [prostitutes]. It is the poverty which is obscene, and the criminal irresponsibility of the leaders who make this poverty a deadening reality. The obscenities in this country are the places of the rich, the new hotels made at the expense of the people, the hospitals where the poor die when they get sick because they don't have the money either for medicines or services. It is only in this light that the real definition of obscenity should be made." R13; F. Sionil Jos", Ermita: A Filipino Novel 3 The only way to stop this trafficking in and profiting from the use of women's bodies is for prostitution to be legalized. Legalization will open it up to regulation; and regulation means safety. JEANNETTE ANGELL, Callgirl 4 When prostitution is a crime, the message conveyed is that women who are sexual are "bad," and therefore legitimate victims of sexual assault. Sex becomes a weapon to be used by men. MARGO ST. JAMES, San Francisco Examiner, Apr. 29, 1979 5 People tend to be put off by the idea of selling sex, but if you spend a winter's night with one of them and talk with her about her family and so on, you're likely to find she's just like any other woman. EIJI YOSHIKAWA, The Art of War Sources: [1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk... [2] printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings. From Google [3] http://www.archives.gov... [4] http://globalfundforchildren.org... [5] http://www.listland.com... [6] http://www.forbes.com... [7] http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com... [8] http://people.emich.edu... [9] http://www.usdebtclock.org... [10] http://www.goodreads.com... and http://www.notable-quotes.com...

Prostitution should be illegal. First, I'll discuss Con's misrepresentations. Then I'll rebut his arguments.1. Con misrepresented the studies I cited.Con claimed: "Your stats are coming from illegal prostitution." This is incorrect. The studies I cited discuss prostitution in countries where it is legal. [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]. Many of these studies compared countries before and after legalization. By evaluating conditions under both legal and illegal prostitution, the stats I cited were fair and accurate.2. Con misrepresented my "human trafficking" argument.Con claimed: "Human trafficking is the distribution of sexual acts by humans.” This definition is wrong. The studies I cited earlier defined human trafficking as illegal forced labor and commercial sex exploitation. These studies showed that such forced labor and commercial sex exploitation has increased in countries where prostitution was legalized. [8] These studies also showed that human trafficking increased as a result of legalizing prostitution. [9] Con dropped these points and completely ignored the studies I cited.Human trafficking -- illegal forced labor and commercial sex exploitation -- is bad. It poses serious health issues for women and girls worldwide, weakens the rule of law, and may even compromise international security. I explained this last round. Con dropped these points too.To reiterate: human trafficking has increased in countries where prostitution was legalized. Because legalizing prostitution will likely increase human trafficking, prostitution should be illegal.REBUTTALS1. Consent is not a defense.Con claimed: "If a person chooses to act a certain way, knowing it can be harmful, that's their choice." Though factually correct, this claim has no persuasive value. The whole point of criminal laws is to determine which "choices" are acceptable to society. Murder and rape are a "choice." Victims can even consent. But that doesn't make these acts less criminal. Likewise, prostitution. Just because women "choose" to prostitute does not mean prostitution should be legal.There is no amount of "consent" that makes a crime acceptable. If someone consents to murder, that doesn't make the murder acceptable. The murder is still a crime. So too with prostitution. There are many "choices" that are illegal. Just because something is a "choice" does not mean it should be legal. Prostitution may be a "choice" sometimes but that doesn't make it acceptable. Nor should that make prostitution legal.There are other problems with Con's "choice" argument. For there to be a "choice," there must be "informed consent" and "alternative options." Neither of those exists for prostitutes. Nor would they exist if prostitution were legalized. Most prostitutes were sexually abused as children. [10] Homelessness is cited as a primary reason women become prostitutes. Additionally, immigrants -- especially Central American women -- are often forced into prostitution when smugglers steal their money and threaten deportation. Finally, many women are violently beaten until they "consent" to prostitution. [9] Legalizing prostitution won't change these conditions. So most of the time, prostitutes only have a "choice" between two evils: deportation or prostitution, violent beatings or prostitution, homelessness or prostitution. Prostitution under these circumstances isn't a "choice." Would we say that a concentration camp survivor who collaborated with the guards to get food and stay alive had consented to his abuse? Would we say an enslaved African in the Americas who became a house servant had done so voluntarily? Of course not. To say there was choice there is absurd. And prostitution is no different.There are two points here: (1) consent is not a defense to a crime, and (2) prostitutes don't have a "choice" because they don't have realistic alternatives.2. Legalizing prostitution doesn't decrease violence against women.Con claimed: “I can guarantee there are less women beaten in areas with legalized prostitution than illegal prostitution.” How does Con guarantee that claim? With nothing. Con literally provided no evidence or source for this claim. In fact, I provided evidence showing the exact opposite. Take a look at references [1] [4] [6] [7].Con claimed: “Studies have shown that legalized prostitution decreases the rate of rapes.” To support this statement, Con cited a single study from 2004. But Con misrepresented its findings. The study didn't say that legalized prostitution decreases the rate of rapes. The study made gave a potential result based on a regression analysis. The regression model analyzed the correlation between the availability of prostitution generally and rape rates. The model had a significant likelihood of error. First, it relied on the wrong definitions of homicide and rape for the countries analyzed (this fact was admitted in the study). Second, it did not consider unreported rapes, which tend to be more common among prostitutes (this fact completely skews the data). Finally, given all these factors, the error rate is probably around 50%. [11] That means the study's prediction is a potential result, not a guaranteed result. Thus, the prediction has little if any persuasive value.Ultimately, the study concluded: “[T]he analysis seems to support the hypothesis that the rape rate could be lowered if prostitution was more readily available.” Under that analysis, the study noted “[i]t is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by 25%.” The keywords in that conclusion are "seems," "hypothesis," "estimated," and "could." The study's conclusion rests on conditional language. This fact highlights the study's high error rate. Furthermore, the study did not consider the extensive catalog of violence that prostitutes face which I discussed earlier.Con's source was from 2004. We now have concrete evidence showing its prediction was wrong. Compare Con's single source with the multiple studies I cited. These studies showed that violence against women has not decreased in countries where prostitution has been legalized. [1] [4] [6] [7] In fact, in many brothels with so-called “safety policies,” violence has actually increased. The studies I cite give hard facts. Instead of making sketchy predictions based on sketchy regression models, they provide empirical evidence of what has actually happened in countries where prostitution was legalized.Because Con's source is outdated and faulty, and multiple recent studies prove Con wrong, Con cannot win on this point. 3. Con's other arguments are sexist and unsupported by any evidence. Con said prostitution helps men find a sexual partner. This statement is profoundly sexist. It suggests "men are entitled to sex" and "women are just sexual objects." Both these premises justify violence against women and thus cannot be used to justify legalization.Con said legalization will decrease the spread of diseases. This argument was unsupported by any evidence or study. Thus, it should be dismissed outright.ConclusionCon has provided no evidence for the vast majority of his claims. Those claims should be dismissed outright. The single relevant source Con offered was outdated and faulty. Recent studies also proved this source wrong. An overwhelming amount of empircal evidence proves concrete harms result from legalizing prostitution. Legalization caused a dramatic increase in human trafficking, a point Con conceded. Evidence suggests legalization would not decrease violence against women. Studies have found that legalization can increase violence against prostitutes. And prostitution causes unavoidable psychological harms, another point Con dropped. On balance, all these harms far outweigh any speculative benfits from legalization. For these reasons, prostitution should be illegal.[10] Diane Post, "The Legalization of Prostitution: A Violation of International Law," 2010.[11] http://www.stat.uni-muenchen.de...

Prostitution ought to be legalized in more areas of the United States Contention 1: Legalizing expands the sex market. Because of the legalization of prostitution, the sex market in the region will grow. The Netherlands proves. “Over the last decade, as pimping was legalized, and brothels decriminalized in the year 2000, the sex industry increased by 25% in the Netherlands.” [1] Sub-point 1a: Legalizing prostitution increases human trafficking. Because of an increase in the demand of prostitutes with the expansion of a sex market, sex trafficking will increase, as the Netherlands shows. “Legalized or decriminalized prostitution industries are one of the root causes of sex trafficking...one report found that 80% of women in the brothels of the Netherlands were trafficked from other countries.” [2] The expansion of human trafficking leads to problems to those involved therein. “A 2006 quantitative study...documented the physical, sexual and mental health symptoms experienced by women trafficked for sexual exploitation (10). In this multi-site survey of approximately 200 women, the majority reported high levels of physical or sexual abuse before (59%) and during (95%) their exploitation, and multiple concurrent physical and mental health problems immediately after their trafficking experience (10). The most commonly reported physical health symptoms included fatigue, headaches, sexual and reproductive health problems (e.g. STIs), back pain and significant weight loss.” [3] “Women who have been trafficked into the sex trade may often not have access to, or are not allowed to use, condoms or other methods of birth control... Such women face the risk of unwanted pregnancies and miscarriages...This type of physical and sexual abuse described above leads to severe mental or emotional health consequences, including feelings of severe guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and eating disorders. In extreme cases, the mental anguish can lead to self-mutilation and/or suicide.” [4] Sub-point 1b: Legalizing has the problems of illegal prostitution, child prostitution. Under a system of legalized prostitution, prostitutes would need to enter into a registry, something that creates problems as pimps find ways to bypass that system and expand street prostitution. “…many women are in street prostitution because they want to avoid being controlled and exploited by pimps (transformed in legalized systems into sex businessmen). Other women do not want to register or submit to health checks, as required by law in some countries where prostitution is legalized. Thus, legalization may actually drive some women into street prostitution… In the Netherlands...because they must register and lose their anonymity, women are more vulnerable to being stigmatized as “whores,”... Thus, the majority of women in prostitution still operate illegally and underground…Another argument for legalizing prostitution in the Netherlands was that it would help end child prostitution. Yet child prostitution in the Netherlands has increased dramatically during the 1990s. The Amsterdam-based ChildRight organization estimates that the number of children in prostitution has increased by more than 300% between 1996 –2001, going from 4,000 children in 1996 to15,000 in 2001.” [5] Contention 2: Legalizing prostitution doesn't solve the problems faced in prostitution. The legalization of prostitution fails to solve any of the problems women face in prostitution. Sub-point 2a: Legalization of prostitution doesn't decrease sexual assault. “It is a cruel lie to suggest that decriminalization or legalization will protect anyone in prostitution…In the Netherlands, where prostitution is legal, 60% of prostituted women suffered physical assaults; 70% experienced verbal threats of physical assault; 40% experienced sexual violence; and 40% had been forced into prostitution or sexual abuse by acquaintances. Most young women in prostitution were abused or beaten by johns as well as pimps.” [6] “In two studies in which 186 victims of commercial sexual exploitation were interviewed, women consistently indicated that prostitution establishments did little to protect them, regardless of whether the establishments were legal or illegal. One woman said, “The only time they protect anyone is to protect the customers.” [7] Sub-point 2b: Legalization of prostitution does not decrease the risk of health concerns. The problem of transmission of STDs remains a problem under legalization. “A legalized system of prostitution often mandates health checks and certification, but only for women and not for male buyers. Health examinations or tests for women but not men make no public health sense because monitoring prostituted women does not protect them from HIV/AIDS or STDs... Male buyers can and do originally transmit disease to the women they purchase... In one study, 47% of women in U.S. prostitution stated that men expected sex without a condom; 73% reported that men offered to pay more for sex without a condom; and 45% of women said that men became abusive if they insisted that men use condoms. Although certain sex businesses had rules that required men to wear condoms, men nonetheless attempted to have sex without condoms. One woman stated: “It’s ‘regulation’ to wear a condom at the sauna, but negotiable between parties on the side. Most guys expected blow jobs without a condom (Raymond et al, 2001, p. 72).”” [8] “A UN/AIDS and WHO campaign in Thailand began in the late 1980s to ensure 100% condom use. According to women in prostitution, under this policy they suffered the same social contempt as always but with additional coercive tactics such as being taken to clinics for health checks under police or military escort. The campaign humiliated women by posting their photographs in brothels so that johns could inform pimps which of the women had agreed to have sex without a condom. Johns’ culpability for their own failure to use condoms was ignored.” [9] This is not to mention the problems of mental health for those involved in prostitution, mainly PTSD. “ Aosved and Long (2003), for example, found that women who experience rape resulting from coercive tactics such as abuse of authority, arguments, or social pressure experience the same high levels of depression and PTSD as women who have been raped as a result of force and threat of force...PTSD is characterized by anxiety, depression, insomnia, irritability, flashbacks, emotional numbing, and hyperalertness. Symptoms are more severe and long lasting when the stressor is of human design. PTSD is normative among prostituted women. Farley et al. (2003) found a PTSD prevalence rate of 68% among those in prostitution in nine countries. Illustrating a severe symptom of PTSD, one prostitution survivor said, “For the first few months I worked [in prostitution] I had a lot of nightmares involving mass numbers of penises”. ” [10] Contention 3: Legalization of prostitution hurts women’s human rights. Prostitution violates human rights. Sub-point 3a: Legalization of prostitution increases discrimination of women. “There is a stark contrast between countries with legalized prostitution and criminalized prostitution in terms of the promotion of gender rights... the abuse of women has become so entwined in Thailand that it makes up 4.3 billion dollars per year."' The sale and abuse of women's bodies that contributes to the maintenance of the Thai government and society for the benefit of men can be described as nothing but exploitation... The result of the situation in Thailand is indicated by the CEDAW Committee's Concluding Observations, namely the concern "[t]hat traditional attitudes that foster discrimination against women and girls continue to prevail and to hinder the full implementation of the Convention.""* Rather than tackling the serious problem of discrimination against women in Thai society, the government compounds the problem by condoning the sale of women as objects for the use of men,... When women are commodities, they need be treated no better than other marketed products...” [11] “Prostitution is not about women enjoying rights over their own bodies. On the contrary, it is an expression of men's control over women's sexuality. It is the hiring out of one's body for the purposes of sexual intercourse, abuse, and manifestations of undifferentiated male lust." [12] Sub-point 3b: Other conditions constitute that prostitution is a human rights violation. “The European Court of Human Rights has established that filthy conditions, water shortages, skin infections, and sleep deprivation can constitute torture when the suffering is intense... In places where prostitution is legalized, the state not only ignores the conditions, it legitimizes them. Therefore, States must be held accountable under ECtHR for their failure to eradicate torture.” [13] References provided in comment section.

Prostitution should be legalized We need some basis to our law. Otherwise, we're spending billions of dollars and energy locking incarcerating without purpose. If an activity does not bring any to harm another person nor the country, then it is not the business of the state's. It is not the business of the state's to dictates one's personal boundaries and moralities when the only thing at stake is that person's perception of themselves, which can vary quite a bit, culturally/religiously. Morals are subjective in some cases, but universally, harming someone (including yourself) is wrong. But it is up to the person being affected to decide whether the action brings harm to them, and in many cases, sex workers don't view their work as harmful to themselves. As long as this is the case, there is no breach of ethics. Law should never be based on subjective immorality, (sex work, eating meat, being modest) but instead cold, hard irrefutable immorality (rape, murder, stealing). Law should also not be dictated by the bible, as you implied. We are a free country, not a theocracy, and separation of church and public state is a necessity. And when you say prostitutes are victims, you're not thinking of prostitutes, but of sex trafficking victims. As long as it's 100% consensual and complys with their personal moral code, they are not vicitms. Anti-prostitution laws do not prevent prostitution. They prevent sex workers from getting help in abusive situations, they prevent sex workers from changing to a more socially-acceptable career, they cause worker suicides (The Star, Politifact) and contribute to mass incarceration and the wasting of tax payer money. Also, in cases of virtually every law that is not prevented by criminalization, increasing punishment has never affected rates, just placed the ethics of law enforcement in question. Severity of punishment should be based on severity of crime, not high statistics. And, again, prostitution is not inherently wrong unless in a cultural or religious context.

Prostitution Should be Legalized The Legalization of Prostitution is one of my faviorte debate topics. I wish my opponent good luck! ;) C.1 "Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution and the sex industry promotes sex trafficking" By legalizing prostitution, we are saying that prostitution is okay. It makes it much easier when legalized, to commit sex-trafficking. Not only women are used for these actions, but children as well. [1] One argument for legalizing prostitution in the Netherlands was that legalization would help to end the exploitation of desperate immigrant women who had been trafficked there for prostitution. However, one report found that 80% of women in the brothels of the Netherlands were trafficked from other countries (Budapest Group, 1999)(1). In 1994, the International Organization of Migration (IOM) stated that in the Netherlands alone, “nearly 70 % of trafficked women were from CEEC [Central and Eastern European Countries]” As you can read, the statistics hold at 70% of trafficked women. Can we not agree that there are better way for these women to make money then to sell their bodies to men? But don't take my word for it, it has been proven, that countries or states with legalized prostitution have a higher rate of sex-trafficking. [2] A study of the impact of legalized prostitution has found that countries where prostitution is legal experience larger reported human trafficking inflows than countries in which prostitution is prohibited. .. . Professor Eric Neumayer of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a team of researchers analyzed data on human trafficking from a global sample of 116 countries in order to determine what effect a country’s domestic policy on prostitution has on trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims. The authors described international human trafficking as “one of the dark sides of globalization,” where the victims, the vast majority of whom are women and girls, end up being sexually exploited through prostitution. " Many people want to argue that most prostitutes are grown women whom can take care of themselves. Even this is false. Many women are held against their will by their employers to work for them and to get money. But human trafficking brings in more children who are unable to take care of themselves and defend themselves. They are taken advantage of because they are young, unknowing and vulnerable. [2] “Most victims of international human trafficking are women and girls coerced into the sex industry abroad,” said Professor Neumayer. “We wanted to find out if legalized prostitution increases or reduces demand for trafficked women. ”The researchers considered two opposing economic theories that could come into play to support their findings: the “scale effect” where legalized prostitution leads to an expansion of the prostitution market, thus increasing human trafficking, and the “substitution effect” that reduces demand for trafficked women as legal prostitutes are favored over trafficked ones. " As a government, their job is to not only protect a citizens' rights, but to ensure the safety of the citizens. Given the statistics of human-trafficking, legalizing Prostitution only leads to a major increase in human-trafficking. Facts about Human Trafficking: [3] Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90. Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including: forcing victims into prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude and compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography. According to some estimates, approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation. There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today. According to the U. S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, of which 80% are female and half are children. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U. S. is 12 to 14-year-old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children. California harbors 3 of the FBI’s 13 highest child sex trafficking areas on the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more calls from Texas than any other state in the US. 15% of those calls are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U. S. each year. Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry (behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking). It reportedly generates a profit of $32 billion every year. Of that number, $15.5 billion is made in industrialized countries. The International Labour Organization estimates that women and girls represent the largest share of forced labor victims with 11.4 million trafficked victims (55%) compared to 9.5 million (45%) men. It's obvious, Human Trafficking is immoral. Why on earth should be legalize it knowing the major consequences, especially to children who have no choice. C.2 Violence and Abuse When women don't wish to be a prostitute anymore, they can just leave. This is very incorrect. They may be able to leave if they are half beaten to death, or they may just be killed. [4] A prostituted woman might also be afraid of what her pimp will do to her and afraid for her life if she tries to leave. For many women, prostitution and sexual exploitation might be the only life they know. The average age for girls entering prostitution is between 12-13. ** And studies show that 75 to 95% of all prostitutes were sexually abused as children. *** Prostituted women are often victims of intimate partner violence by pimps and customers, often called “johns. ” The methods of control that pimps and johns use are similar to the methods used by abusers. Some examples include: physical violence; sexual assault; economic abuse or manipulation; isolation; verbal abuse; threats and intimidation; and minimization and denial of physical violence. "Women in prostitution have a death rate that is significantly higher than women who are not involved in prostitution. * One small study of 130 prostitutes found that 68% of the prostituted women interviewed met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was in the same range as combat veterans and victims of torture. " Knowing the consequences for being involved in Prostitution only goes to show that it's okay for women to be abused, killed and held against their will by their pimps. As a government, as stated before, the government should be ensuring citizens safety, not encouraging violence. Explore Campaigns Sources: [1] . http://www.embracedignity.org... [2] . https://www.lifesitenews.com... [3] . https://www.dosomething.org... [4] . http://www.womenslaw.org...

Prostitution should be legal due to it being a victim-free crime. People, no matter their background, have built societies were prostitution plays some part. Anywhere you go you will find "working girls" with plenty of business. Certainly this practice is considered horrible and dirty by many, but we have not been able to stop it for the entirety of human history. Since we cannot stop the problem, and since we cannot ignore the problem, we must regulate the problem. When regulated brothels may be taxed, inspected, and/or shutdown if necessary. Under the current system of anarchy nothing can be done, but shutdown prostitution rings. And to currently shutdown a ring, police must work for months or years in order to properly take down such syndicates. Certainly most would prefer to live in a world where prostitution does not exist, but we do not live in that world and we cannot eliminate the problem. Therefore we must pick the best of two evils and regulate the industry.

Prostitution should be legalized in the United States. I will be using a dual overlaying teleological/constitutional argument to contend that prostitution should be legalized in the United States. In this project I will borrow the harm principle, as articulated by John Stewart Mill, to argue that the only reasonable circumstance in which a government can limit a citizen's liberty is to prevent that person from causing harm to others. This view when taken to its logical conclusion would entail the legalization of prostitution. Contention 1: The Harm Principle For the sake of convenience I will grant to my opponent that prostitution may harm its participants albeit inadvertently. What conclusions can we draw from this? Clearly we can't conclude that prostitution should be outlawed solely on the basis of its potentially being harmful to its consenting patrons. If we were to take this route then we would also have to outlaw cigarettes, alcohol, skydiving, and driving. Alcohol has no known medical uses and its dangerous levels of consumption can be achieved rather easily. Its contribution to murders, lethal car accidents, violent crimes and property damage is beyond dispute because it generally releases the inhibitions of those that take it. [1] Any coherent argument against prostitution that would leave alcohol legalized would be a masterpiece of political engineering. Indeed, the harm principle clears prostitution because it is incapable of harming anyone aside from those that willingly choose to engage in it. Contention 2: The Offense Principle Shall our government limit liberties on the basis that certain actions will offend others? Not if we wish to remain consistent with the bill of rights. At no point in the bill of rights is anyone guaranteed the right not to be offended. Secondly, people will inevitably take offense to nearly anything, which renders the offense principle entirely relative. The offense principle provides no objective basis for limiting liberty because different things will always offend different people. And if it were taken to its logical conclusion the offense principle could lead to us outlawing minority religions like Islam, pornography, mini skirts, chewing gum, backwards baseball hats and nearly anything imaginable. Contention 3: The Utility Factor Like it or not people love sex. Some like it a bit too much, but hey, who am I to judge. Sex provides happiness and gratification to those that freely enjoy it. To deny people their right to enjoy sex for money is to deny them their right to pursue happiness as they see fit. The only rational thing that can be said about our collective aversion to prostitution is that we, as a society, have systematically demonized everything that could possibly exceed the pleasure of prayer or pro creative sex. Contention 4: Constitutionality As free people we have the right to pursue happiness as we see fit insofar as this behavior doesn't injure innocent bystanders. We do not, for instance, have the freedom to drive down the freeway blindfolded even if this behavior were to produce copious amounts of happiness in the driver. The problem with prostitution is not in the act itself it is within each of us. Prostitution between consenting adults infringes upon no one else's rights and this much is beyond dispute. The declaration of independence guarantees our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. [2] To deny or infringe these rights in any way without sound reason is unconstitutional and it is unfair. We have a constitution to guarantee us freedom from the tyranny of the majority. It follows from this that we are not at liberty to deny people rights merely because we find their behavior to be sordid. In this context it is important to reflect upon the fact that our constitution says nothing about prostitution and certain passages of the Constitution stipulate that a sound argument can be made for prostitution with the following articles: [3] – [4] ï¿½Article I, Section 10: "No State shall pass any law impairing the obligation of contracts." ï¿½Article VI: "This Constitution, and the laws of the United States... shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby; anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding... All executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution." ï¿½Amendment IX: "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." ï¿½Amendment X: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." ï¿½Amendment XIII, Section 1: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Contention 5: Potential Rebuttals Addressed Arguments about child prostitution will be disregarded because my argument focuses on consenting adults. ========= Sexually transmitted diseases will spread if we legalize prostitution. ========= Even if this were true- (which I don't think it is)- it doesn't logically follow that prostitution should be illegal. If our government were to divert its resources to go after prostitutes merely because they may have STDS then in order to avoid being hypocritical we would also have to prosecute sexually promiscuous people. Surely there are ordinary citizens that engage in more sex than prostitutes. The notion that cops would regulate ordinary peoples sexual behavior for the "greater good" is as ridiculous as it is obscene. And yet this would be the exact world we would be beckoned to if we were to casually regulate people's sex lives on the basis that they could infect other people. ======== Conclusion ======== Victimless crimes are as repugnant as they are pervasive in our society and if we seek to take steps to ending the mindset that creates them then we should do the right thing and legalize prostitution. Defining terms Prostitution is defined as the act of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for money or goods. (http://en.wikipedia.org.........)----- For the purpose of clarity, the definition of prostitution in this debate will only include the direct physical act of engaging in sexual activity between two persons, and thus pornography would not qualify as prostitution. Harm principle (as articulated by J.S. Mill)- a government can only limit the liberty and rights of its citizens in order to prevent citizens from harming each other. (http://en.wikipedia.org.........) Sources [1] http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu......... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org......... [3] http://www.earlyamerica.com......... [4] http://www.buildfreedom.com.........

Prostitution should be legal Rape is a crime and does not have anything to do with prostitution. Diseases can be prevented by protection. Young women will have the choice to do what they want and they won't be harassed since it is not against their will.

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.

Prostitution should NOT be legalized! Well said. Yes, this country is all about freedom of choice, but what if someone's choices is hurting the people around them? Someone may choose to rob a bank,, however it harms other people, so this is illegal. If we look at prostitution from non-moral standpoint, it should remain illegal and be discouraged due to the fact that it will potentially bring harm to both individuals involved. One main point that those who believe in the legalization of prostitution is that it can be regulated by the government. In particular, require prostitutes to take weekly tests so as to ensure that have not been infected with any sexually transmitted disease. However, after about an hour of extensive research, I can prove that this is ineffective. For example, should someone be infected with HIV, they encounter a 'window period' which lasts often 3-6 months. During this period, all HIV tests will return negative due to the fact that the body has not begun to produce the antibodies necessary to identify the disease. Key point: Government regulations will of no help to put an end to the notorious terminal illness, AIDs, which should prostitution be legalized will be running rampant in the streets. Now I shall address the logical concepts of this issue. Around 45% of prostitutes were forced into the trade as a child and have yet to escape. The average age of a "woman" entering prostitution is 14 years old. Imagine that. A young girl, just beginning to explore possibilities of love and dating, is thrown into the sick world of sex trafficking. This soon will become all she knows; her idea of being loved is being forced to perform sexual acts on men old enough to be her father and being threatened and in many cases beaten and raped. Prostitution is an emotionally damaging trade, and if you remain true to the statistics, it is a rare few that go in by choice. That number diminishes even more when you look at how many women who have tasted prostitution feel content and wish to continue with it. With these facts in mind, you must take into consideration the enormous safety risks of the matter. A woman alone with a man, with no choice but to do his bidding, whatever that may be. Once she is on the job, there is no getting out; to do so would risk the wrath of her pimp or, perhaps even worse, the wrath of her john. I personally can testify that a perfectly polite and seemingly kind man can change in a heartbeat once he gets worked up (a.k.a. horny) and then denied. I do not by all means suggest that every man is like this, but I feel it is safe to assume that one who is willing to buy a woman to perform sick fantasies will most likely go along with this pattern. In summary, whether this be legal or illegal, prostitution subjects a woman to the high risk of rape, assault, and worst case scenario, death.

Prostitution should be legal First let me outline my position. Prostitution should NOT be legal Legislation Helps Protect Society Health Issues of Promiscuity Links to Organized Crime and Use of Illegal Drugs Links to Sex Slavery Legislation Helps Protect the Vulnerable Men Using Their Wive or Daughters as Prostitutes Pimps Using Drugs and Physical Violence to Control Girls Child Trafficking Increases as a Result of Legalized Prostitution Forced Prostitution Increases as a Result of Legalized Prostitution The High Economic Cost of Sex Trade Medical Expenses for Participants Medical Expenses for “Second Hand” Victims I want to cover all the points above (unless there are some you wish to concede in the interest of saving space and time in the debate). First I want to look at the example of Germany’s recent change to legalize prostitution.The German Experiment. Historically prostitution was never outlawed in Germany. The took the position of Saint Augustine that prostitution should be tolerated. [1][2] by Governments. In the 1500s there was a change in attitude because of the Protestant reformation and the rise of syphilis. In the 1800s sex trade workers had to register with local police and health authorities. In the early 1900s the focus was on regulation (not abolition) and then government run brothels were common under Nazi rule. Later, in East Germany prostitution was illegal, but in West Germany it was regulated. In unified Germany prostitution was never fully illegal, but the rules varied by municipality. In 2002, Germany changed the law in an effort to improve the legal situation of prostitutes. [3] Let’s look at the results of the 2002 change in law. It is estimated that 400,000 work as prostitutes in Germany (Pop 89 million).[4] “It is a magnet for migrant sex workers, who are lured from their wretched villages in Bulgaria and Romania and turned into virtual sex slaves in Germany’s 3,000 brothels. Police are nearly powerless to help them.” - [5] Germany is finding that the current laws are not working, and have added more laws to refine what is legal and what is not. [6] [7] The German government (2007 report) concluding that few prostitutes had taken advantage of regular work contracts and that work conditions had improved only slightly, if at all The law has failed. Prostitutes themselves don't want to change their working conditions and contracts to the new (2002) legal status. [8] Prostitution should NOT be legal. It increases rape (non consensual sex). It increases human trafficking(sex slavery). It increases statutory rape (consensual sex with underage partners) The usual age of entry to the “profession” is between 14 and 16. It is linked with organized crime and drug trafficking even in places where prostitution is legalized and regulated. None of these are activities that governments should encourage.Lets look at some further reasons why governments should work to minimize prostitution. Legislation Helps Protect Society There are many health issues relating to promiscuity. Prostitution maximizes these issues. First lets look at Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Most STDs have an incubation time before they can be diagnosed. This means that a prostitute (lets say 2 partners daily) who will test positive for HIV after 3 weeks, may infect 42 customers before it is possible to detect that she is infected. There is no way to 100% prevent the spread of STDs. Here are some other medical risks of promiscuity: Prostate cancer, Cervical cancer, Oral cancer, Heart disease, Domestic violence, Unwanted pregnancy, Birth defects[9] There are consistent links to organized crime and use of illegal drugs. I assume we are agreed that organized crime and illegal drug use should be reduced if possible. The link between organized crime, human trafficking, illegal drug use and prostitution is made clear in a position paper from the London School of Economics. [10] Here are some points to ponder from that paper. * “legalized sex industries actually result in increased trafficking to meet the demand for women to be used in the legal sex industries” * “wherever prostitution is legalized, trafficking to sex industry marketplaces in that region increases” * “prostitution is inherently harmful and dehumanizing and fuels trafficking in persons” * democratic political regime experience a larger reported incidence of trafficking. It is inaccurate to think of prostitution as a single experience. In countries where it is legal there are freelance workers, brothel workers, workers with a “manager”. Many of the low end / low price workers are getting money for drugs. In Germany there is a huge problem with “narco prostitution” as the workers are in poor health, and many are victims of rape, murder and violence. In round 2 I plan to cover the issues listed below. Although I am against unnecessary government intervention, I believe the best way to reduce the harm done by prostitution is to criminalize the purchase of prostitution (Target the Johns as opposed to the sellers). Trades training could be offered to the sellers of sex services as a way to get them out of the sex business. FOR ROUND 2 Legislation Helps Protect the Vulnerable Men Using Their Wive or Daughters as Prostitutes Pimps Using Drugs and Physical Violence to Control Girls Child Trafficking Increases as a Result of Legalized Prostitution Forced Prostitution Increases as a Result of Legalized Prostitution The High Economic Cost of Sex Trade Medical Expenses for Participants Medical Expenses for “Second Hand” Victims[1] http://catholicforum.fisheaters.com...[2] Summa Theologica: Part II of book II, question 10, article 11 http://www.newadvent.org...[3] http://en.wikipedia.org...[4] http://www.dw.de...[5] http://www.theglobeandmail.com...[6] http://www.examiner.com...[7] http://www.theguardian.com...[8] http://www.taz.de... Translated by Google[9] http://voxxi.com...[10] http://dx.doi.org...

Prostitution should be legalised to protect sex workers from HIV/AIDS Proposition Summary

Prostitution should be legal in each state. 1. Prostitutes are not hurting society. They are simply working hard. Naturally, there is no ban on prostitution. It is simply another profession and the capitalist, free government should not hinder this form of work. It is a victimless crime and nobody is hurt. There is no purpose in banning prostitution. 2. One great reason to legalize prostitution: Right now, prostitutes are forced to hire pimps. Pimps are unfortunate. They beat prostitutes and can force them to do whatever they want them to do. But prostitutes are forced to go to pimps for protection. However, prostitutes would be able to go to police if their occupation was legal. This would put abusive, violent pimps out of business. And would get the police to protect their actual citizens. Right now, a prostitute cannot report to the police even if she is raped, because she risks getting arrested. Under legal prostitution, she could be protected by the police instead of abusive pimps. 3. Prostitutes currently make up a sizable amount of the population. If prostitutes were legal, they would provide tax revenue. This is much needed tax revenue, when many governments are low in money and forced to go in debt. 4. Las Vegas legalized prostitution. It works well. There are frequent STD tests. And regulation. Unlike in a state with illegal prostitution. There are illegal prostitutes who have all sorts of STDS, but in Las Vegas, there is regulation. And prostitutes with STDs are forced to go out of business or get cured. This is obviously a better model. 5. The constitution lists a few natural rights including liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These should not be infringed. 6. The constitution restricts government power using the word "not" 24 times. It is obvious that our government is founded upon the princiole of liberty and lack of government infringement in our personal lives and personal tastes. 7. Prohibition has historically been ineffective. Alcohol prohibition did not work. And we should learn from our history. (http://www.cato.org...) The prohibition on drugs is not effective. (http://www.lasvegasmercury.com...) The prohibition on prostitution is not effective anyway. (http://www.echeat.com...) Why would we do something that harms us so much and does not even work? 8. Prohibtion causes underground black markets. Drug dealers and gangs deal their drugs. We saw notorious gangsters and Al Capone with alcohol prohibition. Now, we see gangs and pimps doing prostitution illegally. This is a problem, because allows gangs to fight for territory and other things and unnecessary lives are lost. 9. Prohibtion causes underground black markets. Drug dealers and gangs deal their drugs. We saw notorious gangsters and Al Capone with alcohol prohibition. Now, we see gangs and pimps doing prostitution illegally. Also, prostitution is illegal, so gangs use it as a source of funding. By making prostitution illegal, we are indirectly funding gangs. If prostitution was legalised, no gang would make money from it, because they would be discouraged from it. 10. Prohibition uses much police resources. When we use police to enforce prostitution laws, we use taxpayer dollars to enforce an ineffective, useless, and harmless law. Police could use the resources they use to criminalize prostitutes to protect its citizens from actual harmful things, deeds and people. 11. When the Netherlands ended drug prohibition, drug use was reduced. (http://www.drugwarfacts.org...) The same thing has happened with alcohol prohibtion here in the states. When we legalize prostitution, it is very likely that prostitution will be reduced or even halfed like in the Netherlands with prohibition on drugs. 12. We must fight hard for every single liberty we have. Cambodia, Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany all prove this. It is rare when enormous rights are taken away instantly. For example, in Nazi Germany, Jews were forced to wear a gold star and they were cool with that. Then, Jews had to register as such. Hitler, eventually, suspeneded the constitution. And finally, there were concentration camps. When the Jews saw the trucks taking them away, they did not fight, because they were used to the destruction and ignoring of rights and the German citizens accepted it only because it was gradual. This will happen in America if we allow it. It is not unreasonable to believe that if we allow them to take away rights like prostitution rights, they will take away the next right, and the next right, and the next right, until we are finally stripped of all human rights. Protect our human rights! History tells us to fight against every violation of rights! Vote PRO!!!

Prostitution should be legalized in brothels I have argued on various fronts about reasons prostitution should be legal. Health impact I have covered how it lower rape which affects people for the rest lives. I have shown how it lowers the spread of STDs which doesn't just affect those who use prostitutes but helps to make us all safer, and healthier as well as lowering the healthcare and financial burden the diseases cause. Legal aspect I have shown it is not a fair law in that it is legal to pay for sex if it's filmed. As well as showing the analogies between prostitution, massages, and trophy wives. I have shown that it has a long history of being an accepted profession, as well as the ineffectiveness of criminalizing it. Legalizing it would generate revenue and lower taxes on the rest of us. Moral aspect The government has no right to regulate a person's freedom when it comes to selling sex that deals with mutually consenting adults. Freedom is the ability to make make decisions that others don't agree with. We are free to do any number of things to other consenting adults that are immoral. (Gluttony and sloth) I have further shown that it is used by successful people who don't want to invest the time in relationships, breaking the stereotype that only "losers" go to prostitutes. In closing prostitution would be have a positive impact on the lives of the majority of the people in the areas it's decriminalized. The benefits extend well beyond the people engaged in prostitution both in the lower cases of rape/STDs and the lower of taxes. These facts are not even in question. The only real point of contention is if it is moral, and this is hotly debated, but comes down to freedom. Either you support freedom allowing someone to do something you don't agree with morally, or you don't support freedom and prevent people from doing what they do not see it as morally wrong. Personally I would rather stand on the side of freedom.

Prostitution should be legal. Please state your argument.

Prostitution should be legal in the United States Thanks, Con. I tried to keep this round short and to the point... 1. Through the principle of self-ownership, people have the right to determine what they do with their own bodies, including sexually. 2. Prostitution is a victimless crime. Neither of the consenting parties are forced into the trade agreement (money in exchange for sex). 3. Promiscuity is rampant. People are already having casual sex. Being paid for it wouldn't affect the morality of what is already happening. This would be true even if it encouraged people to be more promiscuous. Moreover, it is not the role of government to ensure that people behave morally. However it IS the role of government to enforce contractual agreements. 4. If somehow legalized prostitution led to the transmission of more STDs, that would be up to the individuals to manage. People must be responsible for their own health. Just as you would be responsible for your obesity if you chose to eat 60 cupcakes a day, you would be responsible for your herpes if you chose to have unprotected sex. No activity or job is risk-free. 5. On that note, regulating the prostitution industry actually protects sex workers. In Nevada, women who work in brothels are frequently tested for STDs. "We see very little STD among the working girls in these brothels," says Dr. Randall Todd [1]. These environments not only encourage but often require safe sex. 6. Further, legalizing prostitution would prevent underground prostitution that occurs today. Right now sex workers are being manipulated and controlled by pimps and organized criminals like the mafia. They are often stripped of their profit, and forced to pay the money they earned in exchange for their safety. By decriminalizing their profession, prostitutes would be free from this oppression. They could seek protection from law enforcement rather than criminals. 7. If prostitution were considered a legitimate profession, you could collect taxes from the work that many are already being paid to do tax-free. This would contribute to the economy significantly as it already has in Nevada. It not only helps the government through revenue, but the individuals who now have more job options [2]. 8. An exorbitant amount of money is spent on law enforcement to catch prostitutes and their customers. Once caught, justice departments have to process these people through very expensive systems. Our courts are crowded, police are over-burdened, and in the end the hookers simply pay the fines and go back to work on the streets. 9. Again, neither the customer nor the sales-person is a victim. Society cannot be considered a victim. Victims are people who have PERSONAL grievances against them. Throughout society, there are innumerable perceptions of polygamy and sex, just as there have been throughout human history. 10. In fact, prostitution is probably the oldest profession. A chef cooks, and a hooker hooks. I see no difference. Both employees exchange their labor/services for the enjoyment of another. Sex is only taboo in certain cultures (like ours) because of traditional, often religious backed sentiments that are perfectly fine - but have no business in government. Otherwise it is simply an activity (that hurts no one) like any other activity. 11. Saying prostitutes might be "damaged" or any other appeal to emotion is both presumptuous and fallacious. Further, it is irrelevant (especially if they are over 18). Plenty of people take jobs they despise in order to make ends meet. An individual should be free to weigh their options. On that note, many sex workers enjoy their jobs. They like sex, and would prefer to make money that way as opposed to flipping burgers or sitting in a cubicle all day. That's their prerogative. 12. Most importantly to consider, pornography is legal. Pornography is nothing more than money in exchange for sex… in front of a camera. It is literally documented prostitution that is viewed and shared all over the world. Prohibition doesn't stifle demand. Pornography in itself generated 97 BILLION dollars in 2006 alone [3]. Over 70% of men in the U.S. view porn regularly [4]. As such, we see that there is a high demand for sex work. [1] http://www.overdriveonline.com... [2] http://voices.yahoo.com... [3] http://theweek.com... [4] http://articles.nydailynews.com...

Challenge me I will now post my argument, taken from the following debate: http://www.debate.org... === PRO ARGUMENTS === ECONOMIC BENEFITS: If Prostitution was legalised, the government could regulate it and tax it. It would create more revenue for the government through this. Furthermore, it would add another legal market to the economy and lead for a bigger economy for the nation which legalises it. The legalisation of Prostitution has benefited many countries which legalised it economically, and is a significant percentage of economic activity. "The prostitution industry accounts for 5% of the GDP of the Netherlands, between 1 and 3% of Japanese GDP and in 1998, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that prostitution accounted for between 2 and 14% of the total economic activity in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines" - http://sisyphe.org... WORKER BENEFITS: The legalisation of prostitution would lead to better working conditions for prostitutes. The legalisation of prostitution has led to better health conditions in countries which legalise it, such as Senegal: "In Senegal, HIV prevalence among pregnant women has been below 1% for more than a decade. A strong multisectoral response, an effective STD control programme and early legalization of prostitution have been credited for this low level. Special clinical services, for example, offer regular examination and treatment for registered sex workers. Not only has there been a significant decline in STD rates among sex workers and pregnant women between 1991 and 1996, but genital ulcers are also no longer common and chancroid is reportedly rare." - http://www.liberator.net... Another example is Nevada within the U.S. Currently, only selected areas of Nevada have legalised prostitution. In this system, women are regularly checked for STD's. Women are tested for Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia weekly, and monthly for HIV and syphilis (http://www.leg.state.nv.us...). It also worth noting there has not been a single case of a prostitute in the legalised brothels of Nevada getting AIDS, and this is since 1989. (http://www.fff.org...) This is comparable to areas where prostitution still illegal, where "roughly half of the street prostitutes in Washington, D.C., and New York City are HIV-positive. In Newark, New Jersey, the estimate is that close to 60% of all prostitutes carry the AIDS virus." (http://www.fff.org...) It is also worth noting that, as it stands, prostitutes have little legal recourse, and workers rights do no exist, which, if prostitution were legalised, would allow prostitute to get better working conditions, allow to join unions, among other things. This shows that when the sex industry is legalised and regulated, the workers within it are less prone to STD's than in the illegal sex industry. SOCIETAL BENEFITS: There is a general reduction in violence and criminal activities with the legalisation of prostitution, and a lower crime rates in accordance with the level of punishment given to prostitution. "It is unknown if there is a correlation between laws that prohibit sex and higher crime rates, but the reverse appears to be more enlightening. The countries where prostitution is legal do not suffer from a high number of violent crimes." - http://www.liberator.net... CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the legalisation of prostitution leads to a bigger economy. There are also benefits for workers in the form of legal recourse and significantly lower STD rates. There is also a reduced crime rate. I await a rebuttal from my opponent.

Prostitution should be legalized I am going to address the the four main contentions and leave it at that for now.Con 1. "What my opponent is arguing is his first point is that prostitution is everywhere and there is no way to stop it. That is a terrible way to look at the system. Just because everyone is cheating on a test, that makes it right?"Do you really think it is fair to equate prostitution with cheating on a test? Currently, prostitution is against the law and those who break that law are criminals. What I am saying is that law should be amended because it is wrong to criminalize prostitutes just for the sake that they are prostitutes. The concept that prostitution is immoral has often always been a contentious topic. Ancient Greece and Rome were actually quite accepting of prostitution and allowed prostitutes to be seen as notable people in society. America's traditional sense of the idea that prostitution is immoral stems from the Bible, which condemns it. I hope that it is not believed that I am saying we should make coercion into prostitution legal. I am stating that we should make it legal for those who wish to prostitute to do so, and I don't see anything immoral about that.Con 2. "When the prohibition era ended in December 5, 1933, the rise of alcoholism grew for one simple reason. People felt no fear because the law was no longer holding them down.""Reported," alcoholism grew after prohibition ended. People were not going to be seen in any drunken state in public and so the number of reported cases of alcoholism would naturally be less than after the prohibition. "With this being said, the younger generation could see prostitution as a career choice. Which would increase the amount child pornography, rapes, and it can't help with the STD's issue."Yes, if prostitution was legalized, many people would indeed see it as a career choice. It would be just as legitimate as being a lawyer, which is arguably at the same level of immorality. The only difference is that a prostitute stops screwing you after you die (I told you I would jest a bit.) However, I don't see why child pornography cases would rise. Would you mind elaborating your thoughts on that and providing a source for that? "Now I would ask that you think about this scenario in your head. A mother asks her sweet little girl what she wants to be when she grows up. Instead of the classic answer that you would expect a little girl o answer, such as a princess or fashion star, she responds by simply saying "A prostitute!" I don't know about you, but I believe that is morally wrong.When the law is taken out of the equation, everyone can see it as a potential career choice in life." While this situation could happen, this is a major extrapolation and dramatization of foreseeable reality. Most people don't seriously consider prostitution until they reach mid-teen to adult age. The morality, as I have stated before, is a matter of opinion and I am of the belief that sex between two consenting adults rendered as a paid service is not immoral. And the law won't be taken out of the equation if prostitution is legal.Con 3. "When a pimp compels a prostitute to submit to sexual demands as a condition of employment, it is exploitation, sexual harassment, or rape -- acts that are based on the prostitute's compliance rather than her consent. My opponent is trying to draw a line between prostitutes that are victims and prostitutes that are not. If you look at the big picture, it will never be able to function like that. The acceptance of prostitution will open my doors to sexual crimes and larger cases of rape or harassment to all age groups."How do you suppose that a line cannot be drawn? The way I see it, there is the prostitute that wishes to raise herself out of poverty by prostituting herself and must constantly watch her back for cops. And is unable to report crimes because she will be convicted as well. There is the woman/girl who is pimped and where the illegality of prostitution is used as leverage to keep the girl from reporting to the police the illegal actions of the pimp. There is a woman who has lived her life as a prostitute and wants to save other woman in the profession and so opens a brother as an organized business to unite the woman together to create some solidarity. (Or the owner could just be wanting to make a lot of money but I don't see the necessity of making a difference in distinction between the two). Then, on the other side, there are the pimps who use the naivety of young girls to pressure them into a life long service to them. There are the preachers that condemn prostitution on their pulpits, and yet engage in their services when they are feeling lonely. And finally, there are the police who arrest a woman for being a prostitute. There seems to me to be a clear line and legalizing prostitution will allow the distinction to be more easily noticed. As to your last comment, how do you think that sexual crimes and rape will increase, logically, one would expect a decrease. What is your logical reasoning?Con 4. "My opponent is basically saying is that if Prostitution is abolished that STD's will decrease. This is simply not true. Whether the law is in place or not, the prostitute is there because of money, that does not simply mean that they will take better precautions to protect their other sexual partner." I believe you are mistaking when you claim that a legal prostitute will be just as careless in their protection as a illegal prostitute. First off, legal prostitutes will be more educated and so will understand the necessity of taking every precaution necessary. You seem to be making a prostitute out to be some selfish woman who just desires to get as much money from the men she services as a prostitute. This just wouldn't be the case. Prostitutes do have moral standards and by giving them a legal facility to practice their service, that fact would be made quite clear. Especially the woman who are kept in the dark by their pimps. I would have a hard time finding their actions as malicious because their utmost focus is self-preservation, which would be keeping the pimp happy.

Making Prostitution Legal Everywhere The control of one's own body is the most basic of one's own rights. We don't legal penalties upon men and women who choose to do it for no reason. Why should the exchange of money suddenly make an incident of lawful and consensual sexual intercourse against the law? Prostitution has been present in societies for thousands. Governments should notice that it can't be stopped completely. They should pass legislation that makes prostitution safer instead of persist with futile and dangerous prohibition.

Legal Prostitution 1. Prostitution should be legalized. BUT, only if it is highly regulated, like the state of Nevada, Amsterdam, and Sweden. All Prostitutes must have STD tests every week, and there clients must use condems or they will be fined. Rape and abuse must be reported. 2. If a woman wants to sell herself, that's HER choice. 3. If a woman/man is in a bad financial situation, this is a better option over working at MCDonald's and getting paid minimum wage. 4. Its better than somebody breaking into a house and raping somebody when they can just go to the local brothel and get sex morally and legally correct. And if a prostitute is raped than it will be reported and the client will suffer consequences. 5. It will generate a lot of tax revenue. 6. No matter what, it will still happen, so we should just legalize it.

Prostitution should be legalised - Debate #1752 As con, I shall argue that prostitution should remain illegal. Since this is an extremely short debate, I request that my opponent answer a question of mine on the comments page. Is this a debate on prostitution in the international community or domestically? If domestically, then which country? Until these questions have been answered, I shall attempt to make my argument be sound both internationally and domestically. My opponent claims that people exploit women in the prostitution career. How would legalising prostitution help this? Shouldn't these women be prosecuted anyway for acting illegally? The basis for legalising something cannot be based on the fact that it is being done illegally. This is like arguing for the legalisation of murder because murderers commit murders illegally anyway. I stress, it cannot be based on this. What is required, in any event, is better enforcement. If these women are prostitutes, then they are acting unlawfully, and shouldn't be doing so anyway. Therefore, exploitation doesn't come into the picture. The next statement I agree with. For it to stand, however, we would have to accept that the basis for legalisation is because it's happening illegally. In any event, if it were legalised, then all the Health and Safety laws would apply to this industry as well, so it isn't really a problem. As for the ad, I am confused. What does this have to do with the debate? I would like to point out that whilst the government would earn money from the legalisation, prostitutes usually have jobs as strippers or "escorts" at bars, casinos, etc. Therefore, they are not entitled to welfare. Government money would not be saved as much as my opponent states it would. To begin with, we see issues of morality. Most people feel that it isn't moral to sell sexual services, as this is something that should be done out of love and affection. By legalising prostitution, many women would suffer from criticism from their neighbours and friends. The client, too, is seen as immoral, as he is having sex with a person he has no intention of maintaining a relationship with. According to religion, sex is an act of intimacy that shows affection and bonding. In prostitution, however, there is no affection or bonding. As asserted by my opponent, this is not a consensual act. Prostitutes are being forced to sell their "services" due to socioeconomic factors. On occasions, it leads to serious psychological and physical problems. As asserted partially, but not fully by my opponent, there is correlation between prostitution, drug use and drug selling. The risks with health is also a problem. By legalising prostitution, there could be an increase in the number of people with STDs and other factors associated with unprotected sex. Additionally, my opponent fails to realise that prostitutes, whether working full time or part time, would be having sex 5-10 times a day. This is unhealthy. A study carried out by a UN reporter concluded that, even in countries where prostitution is legal and regulated, prostitution satisfies the elements of human trafficking. I shall post my sources at the end of Round 2.

Prostitution should be legalised I thank InsertnameHere for her response and look forward to a good debate. "While it's true that revenue could come from such services is it really that significant of a difference? How would it be any different if any other service was legalized? For example, legalizing marijuana across the United States and taxing it would generate between $10 billion and $14 billion annually alone. http://www.prohibitioncosts.org...... Not only is this a significant amount, but it's also now a victimless crime." --> I completely agree with the legalisation of Marijuana. Furthermore, like Marijuana, prostitution is a victimless crime. A victimless crime is defined, as per Wikipedia, as "an infraction of criminal law without any identifiable evidence of an individual that has suffered damage in the infraction." [http://en.wikipedia.org...] Through prostitution, no individual suffers damage. The prostitute involved is involved in the act willingly. As is the buyer. If either party was not doing so willingly, it would be rape, which is not prostitution. Therefore, for my opponent to support he Legalisation of Marijuana, but not support the legalisation of prostitution on the basis of the former being a victimless crime is false. "Legalizing prostitution could lead to problems in these areas such as STD's, unwanted pregnancies, abusive pimps, etc. " --> In terms of STD's, at current, STD's are only responsible for between 3 - 5% of all STD's. "The U.S. Department of Health consistently reports that only 3-5% of the sexually transmitted disease in this country is related to prostitution (compared with 30-35% among teenagers). There is no statistical indication in the U.S. that prostitutes are vectors of HIV. Although a small percentage of prostitutes may be HIV positive, William Darrow, CDC AIDS epidemiology official, cites no proven cases of HIV transmission from prostitutes to clients." [http://www.bayswan.org...] Of course, should prostitution be legalised and strict regulations be put in place, STD's would drop significantly. A good model for this is Nevada, where women are tested for Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia weekly, and monthly for HIV and syphilis [http://www.leg.state.nv.us...]The benefits of Nevadas system are clear as "roughly half of the street prostitutes in Washington, D.C., and New York City are HIV-positive. In Newark, New Jersey, the estimate is that close to 60% of all prostitutes carry the AIDS virus. Yet, in the relatively "free market" of Nevada, where prostitution is legal, not one (as of 1989) of the state-licensed prostitutes has ever tested positive for AIDS. " [http://www.fff.org...] As for unwanted pregnancy, this is easily prevented through the use of contraceptive pills, and abortion methods if necessary. Prostitute, and their managers, would be aware that much less business would be forthcoming for prostitutes should they be pregnant. As for abusive pimps, abusive pimps already exist. Currently, prostitutes have no legal recourse for being abused by pimp, and have no workers right. For example, no trade union exists to allow prostitutes to negotiate better wages or better working conditions. In a free market of prostitute, these would come into existence. "They would be able to unrestrictedly engage in sex trade activities with little regulation, many of whom do it against their will. Legalizing prostitution also means legalizing pimps. These same pimps may also be engaged in other activities such as the drug trade which is illegal. A prostitute working for a pimp may also be greatly restricted in where she can go, whom she can see, and even abuse her for disobeying." --> As for little regulations, this has already been addressed. The Nevada model with regular health heck-ups, coupled with actual legal recourse for prostitutes s legal workers would work out better for prostitutes. Indeed, legalisation would allow for government intervention, and allow for the aforementioned legalisation of the industry to happen. As for women doing it against their will, what you define as against their will is subjective.I may work in an office cubicle and dream of running a Multi-national corporation, but I am in no way doing the job against my will. As I have said before, prostitutes have no legal rights. Legalisation would allow them to leave their jobs without repercussions. This would allow prostitutes who have been trafficked to leave the industry. As for the legalisation of pimps, these pimps will now have to obey workers right laws. Should they not obey this, then they will be incarcerated. Again, legalisation provides prostitutes with the protection of the law. Saying hey may be involved in the drug trade is irrelevant. If a Wal-Mart store is secretly peddling cocaine, that doesn't mean all Wal-marts, and convenience stores, are peddling cocaine, and thus convenience stores should be illegal. So, Non sequitur. "Another issue worth noting is the fact that in many cases, prostitution can led to the objectification of women. This is of particular concern to feminists, many of whom oppose prostitution on those grounds." --> As for the feminist stance on prostitution, feminists are still split over the issue {[http://www.feministissues.com...]. The objectification of women argument fails on the ground that it presumes prostitution is an exclusively female trade. Male prostitutes do exist, and so prostitution leads to the objectification of men. Thus, prostitution objectifies both sexes, and is not an exclusively female issue. Regardless, every trade objectifies women, or men. A shoe factory worker can be objectified into something that makes a shoe. A secretary can be degraded into something that answers the phone and type memos, among other things. Prostitution isn't a special case of this. Prostitution, regardless of its legality, will objectify women. Legalising it will give legitimacy to prostitutes as real people, who aren't repressed because of their choice of career. "Lastly, there is the issue of STD's. According to some studies the rates of STD's among women in prostitution is much higher, some as high as 85% coming into contact with some form of sexually transmitted disease. http://www.uri.edu...... Although a much smaller number of these cases are serious it would no doubt be uncomfortable walking around with these viruses. Another problem would be the risk of spreading them among other clients. Both the client and the prostitute would be at risk rather than just the prostitute." --> I have addressed this above, but to re-iterate, since 1989 no occurrences of HIV have been recorded in the Nevada sex trade. As for my opponents, it only discusses the instances of STD's in the current, non-legalised sex trade, which has no legal instances for women to get medical check-ups. Referring back to Senegal in Round 1, STD's have declined significantly since prostitutions legalisation, even in a country with a low HDI of 0.464 and per Capita GDP of $1,743 [http://en.wikipedia.org...]. I await my opponent's response.

Prostitution Should be Legalized Prostitution should be legalized, but be carefully regulated. Laws should protect prostitutes from abuse from their bosses and clients. All intercourse must be protected with condoms, and prostitutes must not have any STDs, STIs, or STVs. Rates must be regulated, and lack of paying will be considered rape in a court. Definitions (Dictionary. com): Prostitute: a man or woman who engages in sexual acts for money. Legal: appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law. Sex: sexual activity; interactions intended to result in the sexual pleasure of at least one of the involved parties. Regulate: to control or direct by a rule, principle, or method. Rules 1. No trolling or semantics 2. Forfeiture permitted, however if either party forfeits, they must explain why in the comments 3. Be respectful of others' opinions 4. Arguments and rebuttals are to be based on research, not opinion alone 5. If rules or format are broken, the respective party must forfeit the next round Format (organized by rounds): 1. Rules, definitions, format, introduction to topic, and acceptance 2. Arguments and opening statements; no rebuttals 3. Arguments and rebuttals 4.

Prostitution should be legal. Side note: This is my first debate on debate.org. Okay, my opinion is that prostitution should be legal because what people do consensually should not be regulated. If x thinks y is attractive, and goes up to y and offers money for sex, and y accepts, what's the problem?

Prostitution should be legal due to it being a victim-free crime. Prostitution is harmful to both the prostitute and to the "buyer". Prostitutes aren't always voluntary, but can be forced into the profession and or kidnapped.

Resolved: Prostitution should be legalised Premise 1-Definition of Prostitution Con has yet to provide a clear definition to what prostitution is. Prostitution is the act of offering one’s self for hire to engage in sexual relations. (1) This means that there is consent between all parties involved, to exchange a service (sex). 1-http://bit.ly... Premise 2-Purpose of Laws For prostitution to be illegal there needs to be laws against it. So that ultimately leads to the question, why do laws exist? Laws are in place to protect citizen’s general safety and their rights from external forces. (2) This means that as long as one is not harming another person’s rights or safety, they are not acting outside the law, and are free to make any decisions they wish. This overall allows people to have individual autonomy and free will, as long as they are not affecting another. 2-http://bit.ly... Premise 3-Regulations Countries which have legal prostitution tend to regulate it (such as Germany and the Netherlands). Two of the main problems which face prostitutes and/or johns (people who buy prostitutes), which threaten their safety, are rape/assault and STDs. There are already laws against rape/assault (which I’ll get more into later), but STDs cannot be prevented the same way. However, many areas where prostitution is legal have put laws in place which make STDs among prostitutes a lot less likely. For example, in counties where prostitution is legal in Nevada, condom use and weekly tests for STDs are required by law. (3) There are also similar laws in Germany. (4, 5) In fact, even without laws requiring things such as condoms, most prostitutes won’t work without one, which is how it is in the Netherlands. (6) As a result of these policies, areas which have legal prostitution see less STDs. This can be observed in Nevada, Germany, Australia, and Rhode Island (where prostitution was temporarily legal). (3, 4, 7, 8) Regulation has worked so well in Nevada, to the point where STDs are less likely among Nevada prostitutes than among California porn stars. (3) 3-http://huff.to...4-http://bit.ly...5-http://bit.ly...6-http://bit.ly...7-http://bit.ly...8-http://bit.ly... Premise 4-Dangers of Illegal Prostitution Con mentions a stat that says about 80% of prostitutes have been raped, which I agree with. In fact, most prostitutes are too scared to even report violence from customers to the police, because they don’t want to be prosecuted. (9) So, one would expect rape of prostitutes to go down in areas where prostitution is legal, because they don’t have to worry about being arrested or otherwise punished. The stats support this. For example, despite other crimes happening at about the same rate, rape decreased dramatically when rape was legal in Rhode Island. (8) The opposite ended up happening when Queensland banned brothels, with a 149% increase in women being raped, compared to a 49% increase in other offenses against women. (10) Overall, studies have shown that if rape was legalized throughout the US the rape rate would decrease by about 25%. (10) Another major problem, that doesn’t exist nearly as much when rape is legal are abusive pimps. Studies have shown that 89% of women in prostitution want to escape. (11) In fact, pimps often manipulate, threaten, and abuse women in order to make sure they remain prostitutes. (12) However, if women were protected under the law they would no longer have to serve pimps and could work for a brothel, which could not abuse their employees or force them to leave. 9- http://bit.ly...10-http://bit.ly...11-http://1.usa.gov...12- http://bit.ly... Argument 1-Regulated Prostitution Should be Legal As already shown prostitution in its pure form is done with consent, so no one’s rights are harmed. Also, as shown regulations can make it safer. Plus, having it be illegal makes it more dangerous than it has to be. For that reason prostitution should be legal. Premise 5-Profit from Legal Prostitution Legalizing prostitution would also provide a huge profit. Prostitution is a huge industry, which costs a lot to enforce laws against. For example, in the US $200,000,000 is spent annually on enforcing laws regarding prostitution. (13) However, potentially billions of dollars could be made from taxing prostitution, in the US alone. (14) 13-http://bit.ly...14-http://bit.ly... Argument 2-Financial Benefits As already shown prostitution would bring a lot of money into the government. This could be great for many reasons. This money could be spent on things such as police, social services, or even awareness of why people shouldn’t hire prostitutes. Argument 3-Justice Benefits If the police have to focus less time on prostitution they can focus more on more serious crimes such as murder, rape, and assault. Plus, it would lead to less people being arrested for a crime which harms no one. Rebuttal 1-Encoragement of Prostitution P1: I disagree with Con’s reasoning for the necessity of laws to maximize people’s welfare. As mentioned in my 2nd premise, laws are better off to protect others from external forces, but otherwise they should have completely free autonomy. This way the government treats all people equal, assuming they don't harm others. P2: Sex Tourism: A culture of promiscuity is not inherently bad. One may subjectively see it as a bad, but it’s not objectively bad. Con does say it hurts the city’s reputation, along with its tourism industry. However, having legal prostitution may improve the city’s reputation, to some people, specifically libertarians. Plus, Amsterdam is still one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, having more tourists than cities such as Tokyo and Los Angeles. (15) Plus, even though Con’s argument came from tourism workers in Amsterdam, it’s still essentially a subjective opinion with no evidence. Divorce: Con suggests that divorce would increase if prostitution is legal. However, no evidence is provided to support this. In fact, divorce rates in Germany and the Netherlands have increased at roughly the same rate as other Western countries and are in many cases lower: Germany (16): Netherlands (17): France (18): Belgium (19): Italy (20): Drug Use: Con provides no insight on the cause of this correlation. It could simply be because they feel like they can’t leave, which is must less of a problem in legal prostitution as mentioned above. However, the cause could easily be something else as well. For example, most prostitutes are poor, and drug abuse tends to be higher among poor people. (21, 22) Also, drug use is not notably higher in Germany or the Netherlands compared to their European neighbours. In fact, both countries have among the lowest amount of people injecting drugs per capita. (23) As for the prostitutes almost everything I addressed responds to Con’s concerns. Essentially, keeping it illegal just causes things such as rape and murder to occur a lot more in prostitution. C1: I disproved both premises to build this conclusion (although I only had to disprove one). P3: I accept that prostitution would increase. C2: C1 has been disproved, so C2 therefore has been as well. 15- http://read.bi...16- http://bit.ly...17- http://bit.ly...18- http://bit.ly...19- http://bit.ly...20- http://bit.ly...21- http://bit.ly...22- http://bit.ly...23- http://bit.ly... Rebuttal 2-Human Trafficking P1: I accept this premise. P2: I accept this premise. P3: If you follow the view of personal autonomy you know the prostitutes are responsible for their own actions to enter human trafficking, an illegal activity, even with legal prostitution. However, even if you follow Con’s view, legal prostitution would still provide a net benefit. Currently in the US there are estimated to be 14,500-17,500 people in human trafficking. (24) Let’s say the 17,500 numbers grows 100% if prostitution is legal, meaning 17,500 more people are negatively affected. However, let’s examine the decline in rape. There was a 31% decrease in rape rate after rape was legalized in Rhode Island. (8) We’ll be conservative and say the decline would only be 25% nationally. Con uses the stat that 80% of prostitutes have been raped. We’ll use that stat as well. It is also estimated that there are 1,000,000 prostitutes in the US (we’ll just account for them in the calculations, not any new prostitutes who most likely haven’t been raped). (25): Decline rate*(Number of Prostitutes*Rape Rate)=Drop in Rapes -0.25*(1,000,000*0.8)=-200,000 So it appears that at least 200,000 less women will be raped. So: 17,500-200,000=-182,500 net loss in people being harmed under legal prostitution. Not to mention, this is a very conservative estimate. I said human trafficking would increase 100%, which is likely larger than it would be. Plus, I took the largest estimate of people currently in human trafficking in the US. Also, I dropped Rhode Island’s rape decline rate 6% and didn’t even account for the fact that stat was for overall rapes, not just prostitutes (suggesting it’d be larger drop among prostitutes). This also doesn’t account for the fact less people would have STDs, less people assaulted/murdered, and less people feeling trapped as prostitutes. Finally, it doesn’t account for the potential benefit from greater revenue for the government and more time for police to focus on serious crimes (such as human trafficking). C: Disproved premise 3. 24-http://bit.ly... 25-http://read.bi...Conclusion:As can be seen. There is no reason laws should exist against regulated prostitution. Plus, if legalized, many of the harms associated with prostitution would become much more minor. Finally, the benefits outweigh the costs regarding legalizing prostitution.

Prostitution Should Be Legal 1. The Nordic Approach The Swedish Law punishes those who buy the sex, and not those who were bought. I thought that was pretty straightforward. The Nordic approach has been found to be highly successful, reducing prostitution usage, violence, and trafficking. Other pro-prostitution laws have had the opposite effect, increasing violence (or having no effect) but often increasing trafficking [1]. 2. Consensual sex Often, something being consensual is an illusion. Research studying 9 countries (some of which where prostitution was legal) 89% of prostitutes say they have been forced to be a prostitute, whether it be through coercion or trickery. Further, the amount of trafficking for prostitutes in New Zealand have increased since prostitution decriminalization, presumably increasing the amount of forced prostitutes [1]. The amount of “consensual” sex in the prostitution business is fairly low. However, what about that 11%? Merely because something is consensual does not make it correct. A gladiator fight, for example, is consensual, but that does not mean the state should let people do what they want with their bodies. 3. Black Markets Everyone agrees you can’t end prostitution; however my opponent assumes legalization will reduce the amount of black markets (and violence) if prostitution was legalized. However, this is simply not the case. The Swedish experience clearly shows reduced violence, coercion, and increases safety by increasing the controls on prostitution [2]. Further, we need to decipher what is intrinsic to all prostitution, and what is not. For example, Farley and Kelly write that violence is, “intrinsic to prostitution.”[3] As violence is intrinsic to prostitution, even when legal, the question is how to best curb some of this violence. Legalization in New Zealand has increased abuse in brothels. What is also interesting is that in Auckland there was a 200-400% increase in street prostitutes (in other words, illegal prostitutes [1]). Although it seems intuitive that legalization would decrease violence and illegal trafficking and black markets, it is shown that the opposite occurs every time. Even in counties in Nevada where prostitution is legal, traffickers often ask to buy the brothels (and it is often answered with a “sure”[1]). My opponent and I agree that helping these women is paramount, but the literature indicates legalization is the worst thing to do when attempting to curb black markets, or increase safety. 4. The victimless crime The largest victim in this case is the prostitute, as noted often coerced into the business. Legalization increases the amount of street prostitutes. Now, illegal prostitutes are raped about 55 times a year and legal prostitutes 33 times a year. I would say that’s about the same, as one rape is unacceptable. Now to further explain the data: it seems, number wise, legalization would then reduce the rapes! No, as legalization increases the 55 times a year side, and not to mention the trafficking increases. The fact legalization leads to prostitutes being victims, and increased violence, the biggest victims are those coerced into the business [4]. I can name a few victims, actually. (1) the prostitute, (2) those affected by increased trafficking, and (3) those affected by the increase in street prostitutes after legalization. 5. Safer and efficient It is fairly obvious the harms of prostitution are intrinsic, and are often worsened by legalization. I have demonstrated a strong anti-prostitution law (Sweden, 1997) is the most effective in increasing public awareness and safety about prostitution. Efficient is irrelevant, as any sane person does not want a harmful practice to be efficient. Increasing the money in the business merely increases the harms to society. 1. Melissa Farley. “Theory versus reality: Commentary on four articles about trafficking for prostitution.” Women’s Studies International Forum, (2009). 2. Max Waltman. “Prohibiting Sex Purchasing and Ending Trafficking: The Swedish Prostitution Law.” Michigan Journal of International Law, Volume 33 issue 133, (2011). 3. Melissa Farley, Vanessa Kelley. “Prostitution: a critical review of the medical and social science literature.” Women and Criminal Justice, (2000). 4. http://crime.about.com...

Prostitution Should Be Legal A short debate.Not to be confused with the unrelated debate on the morality of prostitution, the debate here is concerned with whether or not Prostitution should be legal.To briefly state my case:Prostitution, whether it is prohibited by law or not, will always exist in Society. There will always be a Demand for sex, and likewise there will always be a Supply of it. Many of the woes that people claim come with legalized prostitution (pimping, child trafficking, forced prostitution) would actually be solved by legalizing prostitution as that the legal stigma would vanish. Both prostitutes and "johns" would have nothing to fear in approaching the police regarding potential crimes. However, those same crimes listed above are made worse when prostitution is illegal, both because of underworld economics and because prostitutes are less likely to go to police when they fear being arrested (as do their customers).

Prostitution Should Be Legal The law as it stands is wrong and patronising to women

Prostitution should be legalised to protect sex workers from HIV/AIDS Changing Social Stigma and flow on benefits.

Prostitution should be legalized Thanks for your response.Lets take the issues one at a time1. Prostitution is a victimless crime "Prostitution is often described as a "victimless crime", or a "consensual crime", because in theory, no one present at the crime is unwilling. In reality, this is a myth. In reality, prostitution of women is a particularly lethal form of violence against women, and a violation of a woman's most basic human rights...Sadly, the majority of girls enter prostitution before they have reached the age of consent. In other words, their first commercial sexual interactions are rape. Research indicates that most women in prostitution were sexually and physically abused as children." [1] "There's some sentiment out there that prostitution -- except for the potential of sexually transmitted disease and the marital implosion it may cause -- is really one of those victimless pursuits that really doesn't fit the description of a crime. Aside from the societal concerns that sex for money constantly erodes whatever moral values the majority of us still hold dear, the more immediate harm is dealt to these vulnerable young women who are usually duped into a life of dependency and abuse." [2] It would also lead to more anti-social behavior of men who now can just walk into a brothel and pay for sex.So the list of victims are the institution of Marriage, Morality, any who gets an STD, youth, women.2. Undermining the black market and increasing workplace safety for prostitutesThe goal with black markets is to eliminate them not turn them into legitimate buisnesses. "No other workplace has to cover the range of health and safety issues that ensue from this sexual and economic exchange. Together with STIs, verbal abuse, battering, sexual harassment and violence, rape and unwanted pregnancies are recognised occupational health and safety risks within the prostitution industry. This does not change because prostitution is legalised." [3] "Ingrid Barclay’s study, which looks at the experience of four women in one of Melbourne’s legal brothels, shows how even when overt coercion is not present, women remain disempowered. The women in her study found that they had to agree to any sexual acts a buyer demanded to obtain a booking. They are then later forced to attempt to renegotiate the way the sexual act will be performed when the booking has commenced and they are alone with the buyer." [3]Legalization does not make it safer.3. Decreasing the taxpayers' loadIf you intend to regulate the industry the money goes from police to more government beaurcrats, and with increases in disease, and violence it will cost tax payers more. "when police pay attention to minor offenses — such as prostitution, graffiti, aggressive panhandling — they can reduce fear, strengthen communities, and prevent serious crime." [4]It will not decrease tax payer load.Now to my arguements1. Demeaning to WomenYou making womens' bodies just sex objects to buy and sell. Not to mention how positution would enforce female steryotypes and unrealistic standard of beauty."It bothers me that we're making money off the backs of women. Condoning prostitution is the most demeaning and degrading thing that the state can do to women. What we do as a state is essentially put a U.S.-grade stamp on the butt of every prostitute. Instead, we should be turning them around by helping them get back into society." [5]2. DiseaseLegalizing Prositution will only lead to an increase of STDs. "In 1986, the Victorian Labour government [Victoria, Australia] legalized brothels, claiming crime would be eliminated, prostitutes' lives wouldbe made safer, and there would be fewer health risks. None of this happened...Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and AIDS increased." [6] "It has been argued that legalized brothels or other “controlled” prostitution establishments protect women through enforceable condom policies. In one study, 47% of women in U.S. prostitution stated that men expected sex without a condom" [7] "The harm reduction approach is shortsighted, doomed to failure, and ethically lacking. It fails to recognize that many prostitutes are unable to negotiate condom use with their clients but often are forced to provide whatever services the client may want. In addition, it is common knowledge that prostitutes are often paid more if they agree to have sex without a condom. In fact, a study in Calcutta India found that prostitutes who regularly use condoms suffer a 79% reduction in their earnings over prostitutes who do not use condoms.1 A 79% loss of income is a huge motivator to forego the use of condoms!" [8] "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. If we assume that he or she takes only 4 weeks to become positive, because there is an additional lag time of 1-2 weeks to get the results back, there will be at best a window period of 6 weeks for a prostitute. The average prostitute services between 10-15 clients per day. 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. This is not the best approach for actually reducing harm. Instead, in order to slow the global spread of HIV/AIDS we should focus our efforts on abolishing prostitution." [8]Sources: [1] http://www.aljazeera.com...[2] http://www.lowellsun.com...[3] http://action.web.ca...[4] http://old.nationalreview.com...[5] http://tinyurl.com...[6] http://www.academia.edu...[7] http://www.embracedignity.org... [8] http://www.biology-online.org...

Prostitution should be legalized I will first defend my initial points before responding to con's arguments.1. Prostitution is a victimless crimeWhat is being defended here is consentual prostitution, not sexual slavery, so con‘s sensationalist copy-pasted argument that many girls entering slavery are raped is irrelevant just like pointing out the fact that many children are forced into making shoes is irrelevant to the question whether shoe-making should be legal. The problem in these scenarios is not the particular profession involved but the fact that they are forced, which is already illegal. The rest of the paragraph is a stream of emotionally charged baseless assertions. How would legalizing prostitution make STD‘s more prevalent? Why would buying the services of prostitutes legally rather than illegally be more likely to „erode whatever moral values the majority holds dear“, or promote anti-social behavior?These points must be elaborated upon and supported. Copying and pasting other peoples blog posts is not enough.2. Undermining the black market and increasing workplace safety for prostitutesAs long as there is a demand for the services of prostitutes, prostitution will exist. There is no way to eliminate the black market if the demand exists and prostitution is illegal. The only way that the black market could be elimated would be if the demand ceased, which is not going to happen, or if prostitution were legalized. Even if it were legalized I highly doubt it could be eliminated, but it would clearly be diminished. This would indeed make prostitutes safer since it is safer to work in a brothel that is regulated rather than in a brothel that is not.The book that con is quoting argues that four prostitutes in Melbourne worked at a legal brothel in less than ideal situations[1]. This is clearly a practical problem, not a fundamental one relating to the legality of prostitution. It is not being argued that by legalizing prostitution necessarily makes prostitutes perfectly safe. The point is that by regulating prostitution, the working conditions in the new regulated brothels with regular health checks would become preferrable to those that illegal prostitutes are used to now. Another major benefit that con has not responded to is the fact that prostitutes would be able to unionize, and would thus be able to improve their working conditions through the same means that other workers do. 3. Decreasing the taxpayers' loadCon argues here that violance would increase, but why would this be the case? This need elaboration. Con also arguesthat diseases would increase. This will be dealt with in con's second argument. The quote offered here is completely irrelevant to whether taxpayers would have to pay more or less or to whether prostitution should be legalized.Now on to con's arguments.1. Demeaning to womenHow would making prostitution legal „make women‘s bodies just sex objects to buy and sell“? To me, it seems that allowing women freedom over their own sex life isn‘t demeaning in the least. Treating them like children or idiots who are not capable of making their own decisions with regards to their own sex life seems alot more demeaning. I also fail to see how legalizing prostitution would enforce stereotypes and unrealistic standards of beuty. Most regular prostitutes do not look like celebrities or super models. Moreover, would this really be grounds for making something illegal?I cannot seem to find the quote that is cited through the link provided, but it seems that it is nothing more than someones irrelevant emotionally charged unsupported opinion. 2. DiseaseFor con's first quote, he conveniently does not include all of the information in his source which happens to state the reason why STD transmission increased, which is explained in the very next sentence:„...Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and AIDS increased. This was due to the fact that medical authorities examined only one of the partners in the sex act, which was self-defeating. Also, favourable medical results provided a false sense of security to clients, prostitutes and controllers. Medical examinations also provoked hostility and decreased cooperation from prostitutes who moved around too often to be monitored. If one did become infected with a sexually transmitted disease, another prostitute would replace her for the medical check up, using the infected woman's medical card." [2]The problem was clearly not due to legalization, but due to the improper implementation of these health checks.I am not going to go through every single quote. Cons argument here essentially is that prostitutes have an incentive not to use condoms and are not likely to get tested for STD's or to respond properly. How this is an argument against legalizing prostitution, rather than for it, is not obvious since legal prostitutes would be required to do these things if prostitution were legalized. They would be required to use condoms and to get checked for STD's in order to work.I would like to point out that directly copy-pasting is plagiarism and not a proper substitute for an original response.Sources:[1] http://action.web.ca...[2]http://prostitution.procon.org...

Prostitution Should be Legalized I would also like to point out that I will not be responding to con this round, as I will also be posting my opening round. IntroductionWhat is prostitution? According to the definition posted above, prostitution is the act of having sex in exchange for money. That is all prostitution is; it is a business exchange between two people, one person providing a service, and another person receiving the service. This is the same with other forms of businesses. For example, in a pizzeria, a restaurant provides the service of selling a pizza to a customer, and the customer eats the pizza, thus receiving the service. (1) Prostitution is nothing but a business interaction. As stated in the introduction, in a pizzeria, the act of providing a pizza and the act of a customer eating said pizza is a business interaction. It's simple as that. But, people seem to have an objection when it comes to prostitution. BUT the very act itself is a business interaction. (1a) What I want you to do is imagine the pizzeria scenario again. I will assume that con finds nothing objectionable to the selling of pizza to a customer. Now, I wan't you to make some changes to the scenario. Instead of a pizzeria, imagine that there is a brothel. Instead of pizza, imagine that it is a man/ women. Instead of the man/ woman giving the customer a slice of pizza, the man/ woman gives the customer sex. It's plain and simple. Now, why the objection? One possible objection is the taboo that society has on selling sex. A poll has shown that 48% of Americans are for keeping prostitution illegal, while 38% of Americans are for legalizing prostitution, and the rest are unsure. (. https://today.yougov.com...)Clearly, there seems to be a societal taboo on prostitution. Also, this article (although not important to my argument, but still is an interesting read) should outline this point accurately. . http://www.huffingtonpost.com...BUT......The Pro's of Prostitution(1) The Government Will be Able to Tax the IndustryI believe that it goes without saying that the government will be able to tax the industry, just like any other industry. If legalized, the government would make more money, which in turn would (hopefully) be used in the general public's interest. (2) There Will be Safer Conditions for Prostitutes National arrest figures for prostitution range over 100,000 (. http://prostitution.procon.org...). What this already shows is that prostitution is illegal (which is the whole point of this debate, but I thought I could reinforce that point). Now, 62% of prostitutes have reported having been raped in prostitution. 73% reported having experienced physical assault in prostitution. 72% were currently or formerly homeless. 92% stated that they wanted to escape prostitution immediately. A Canadian Report on Prostitution and Pornography concluded that girls and women in prostitution have a mortality rate 40 times higher than the national average. (. http://www.rapeis.org...). I would like to remind everybody that these terrible atrocities are being committed WHILE prostitution is illegal. If we wan't to stop these, we cannot stigmatize prostitution and condemn it to be illegal; we must legalize it. This is so necessary regulations and constraints can be placed on the business of prostitution, which would greatly improve the working conditions of people working as prostitutes.

Prostitution should be legal due to it being a victim-free crime. Certainly the government will have to intervene if and when groups oppose the regulation. An unfortunate side effect of this is that the criminal organizations will only become more determined. However, when the consumer is presented with either an illegal good or the same good but legal they will nine time out of ten choose the legal good. Over time the illegal prostitution groups will run out of business and have to shutdown or incur major losses. In an ideal world there would be no industry for prostitution, but since that is not possible we must make the best of the situation and try and regulate the industry.

Prostitution Should Be Legal People Trafficking

DDO Official Tournament 2: That prostitution should be legalised I have absolutely no idea what that warning means, but thank you very much for accepting! I'm glad to get this debate underway at last.Prostitution will still happenIt is irrelevant whether prostitution is legal or illegal - there will still be prostitutes. I quote from an article published by The Economist (http://www.economist.com...): "Prohibition of gambling and alcohol have both been tried in varying degrees in dozens of countries around the world, always with the result of stimulating illegality and sleaze. The sex industry appears to be no different. All developed economies have conceded that the business is impossible to stamp out." There remains ongoing evidence of this to this day. In the United States, 15% of men admit to having paid for sex in 2004 - despite it being illegal in all states except Nevada (http://abcnews.go.com...). An even larger number of men probably didn't want to admit to a crime to a random person conducting a telephone survey. Similar kinds of survey effects happen with drugs as well.There are a number of reasons for this. The most important thing is to consider why people become prostitutes, and the typical answer is that they need money. Prostitution is selling yourself - this is not a decision made on a whim. These are usually people who feel they have few other options. This is why an extraordinarily large proportion of prostitutes contemplate suicide. Prostitutes are the broke college students who need to make a little money to finish their degrees. Prostitutes are the homeless who can't find work. They're the hard working mothers whose day job doesn't earn them sufficient income to give their kids a good education. These people do not just magically disappear because you make prostitution illegal. There's no reason to think this kind of group - who probably need the work more than anyone else - will just accept unemployment as an alternative.The main difference is that prostitutes would be more likely to honor local restrictions on how they can practice, but more importantly, where they can practice. For instance, there are good reasons not to allow street prostitutes to solicit customers right outside a public school, so it's good to put such restrictions in place. However, if prostitution is illegal everywhere, then prostitutes have little incentive not to solicit anywhere they want, so long as the police isn't watching at the time. The problem here is that the police can't watch everywhere all the time, so prostitutes tend to practice just as much in places where we don't want them as in places that are a little more appropriate.SafetyThe harm of having prostitutes work underground is that they cannot be monitored by the government. Prostitution is still relatively easy to do because unlike many industries, prostitution is by nature a secretive kind of business, particularly since many clients will be married or similar. Having support networks available for prostitutes to find out more information, share details about bad clients and get out of the industry if they want to is really important, but it this is almost impossible to organise when the government is trying to stop you.The problem is that prostitution is one of the world's most dangerous professions. For instance, clients who do not get what they want or find themselves unable to pay will often rape the prostitute for that reason. More mean clients may engage in sexual harassment. Some clients abuse prostitutes or blackmail them. The difference is that while prostitution is illegal, if one party was asking for money from the other it's a crime. That means that the prostitutes rarely come forward to police with these kinds of crimes - because THEY'RE the criminals. Talking to other prostitutes is also very difficult because they're all trying to work secretly. The very fact that they're doing something illegal can also be used by clients as a form of blackmail. If the prostitute fails to deliver something the client wanted, and the client responds badly to that, the client may threaten the prostitute that they may end up in prison too. All this is bad for a number of reasons. First, it provides additional incentives for clients to do bad things to prostitutes. Second, it means more crime goes unreported. Both of these are particularly harmful since the sort of people who do bad things to hookers are exactly the kind of people we want in prison, as they are likely to also be bad in other aspects of their lives. In addition to putting them in prison directly, they are less likely to commit the crimes in the first place as their root cause is often a build up of sexual fustration - prostitution being a way for these people to let off steam. As well as clients, managers of illegal brothels are also rarely the nicest people, as the fact they are exploiting young women to do something criminal would suggest.It isn't just attack that prostitutes need to be afraid of. Given their volumne of sexual contact, they need to be very aware of safe sex practices. The trouble is that prostitutes are often afraid even of visiting a doctor because of the fear of being found out as a result. Doctors have several incentives to do exactly this, not least among them that few people like to visit a medical practice that breaks laws, and the importance of reputation in the medical profession. The harms of this are that sexually transmitted diseases spread more readily from one prostitute to the next, causing health issues in the population as a whole. For prostitutes, the most dangerous of these is one known as "pregnancy". It's dangerous because it financially ruins the prostitute - both because it stops their primary income stream, and because the resulting child costs the prostitute money (unless they get an abortion, which is also expensive, controversial and dangerous). In any event it's a quick and obvious way of being busted as a prostitute.Within the wider prostitution industry, there is also the significant risk of human trafficking. This is much harder to do when you're a legal brothel or similar than when you're illegal. Connections to the prostitution network directly allow police to monitor warning signs that human trafficking may be going on somewhere. Other management practices that can also be monitored include the age of the prostitutes, which is impossible if the police are trying to catch the prostitutes rather than process them. Underage prostitutes sometimes, although more rarely, start practicing on their own, which would indicate immediate intervention is required in their lives. This is more difficult to monitor if, for example, they are not only too ashamed to open up to their family, but doing so would get them incarcerated and give them a criminal record as well. In general, having labour protections is important in any industry, but the rule of law does not extend to the black market, thus posing a significant workplace safety risk. Beyond the immediate risks of their own industry, forcing them into circles of people who engage in illegal activity may get them involved in other illegal activities, such as taking drugs.Safety is relative not just to the threat but to whom you are putting in a position of danger. The worst part about this is that the poor and vulnerable and the most likely to be prostitutes, and perhaps the most in need of law to protect them. This is because they are the most likely to be sufficiently motivated by the need to get resources as they have the least of them. Making prostitution illegal stigmatises not only prostitutes, but this whole population who become typecast as frequently being prostitutes. That creates classism and harms the ability of the poor in any given country to work their way out of poverty.Next round I'll do rebuttal and will add an extra point I didn't have space for, on the role of the state.

Prostitution should be legalized (Guderian) On to Contention 1: It is important to note that today's illegal prostitution rings have no laws regulating the protection of prostitutes. The PTSD, and STD's can be avoided by having legitimate brothels that protect the women. No beatings or such could take place in a protected environment, reducing significantly the chances of mental disorders. By legalizing Prostitution you are not bringing along the crime, corruption, or trafficking because there are know legitimate institutions. Employers hire their employees just like any other business and have interest in ensuring their continued health and productivity. Contention 2: This contention does not really prove anything. The same lazy student could simply try a life of crime or other "easy" jobs. Those who work hard and wish to succeed are always going to do better over over the pot-smoking lazy student who drops out. The drop-out may also turn to prostitution anyway- by legalizing it you are now better protecting that drop-out. Contention 3: This contention merely assumes that the government would be the owner of the brothels. If the brothels were privately-owned the business owner would pay for the monthly check-ups as part of their operating costs and import that in the price of their product. In that way the spread of STD's is still countered without a lot of extra cost. I contend that: Contention I: That prostitution is good for the economy. Prostitution is good for the economy for several reasons. First, it takes a previously illegal industry and legalizes it, opening the way for tax revenue which will help the government. It would provide low-skill people with a chance to work, and it will offer new business opportunity's for business owners. Contention II: Legalizing the Prostitution increases the Public Health. The prevalence among STD's in prostitutes today is a direct result of an illegal industry with no standards. Assuming the legalization of Prostitution one could argue that is would be in the Brothel's best interest to have their employees be healthy, both to offer a better product and ensure continue productivity. A client is very likely to pay more for a clean prostitute over one that is carrying an STD. In this respect the public health would be increased as STD's among this profession would be less common. Contention III: That the legalization of Prostitution cuts down on crime. Legalizing Prostitution cuts down on crime in several ways. Firstly prostitution would itself no longer be a crime, and prostitutes or their clients could no longer be arrested. Secondly, the secondary crime that is common with proposition such as drugs, abuse and the like would be dramatically decreased with legalization.

should prostitution be legalised I am putting the three point in favour of legalization of prostitution. Protective sex, Labour right's to prostitutes, Reduce violence Against Prostitutes Protective Sex: It would provide protective sex to prostitutes and to her customer, and also Legalized prostitution would allow the state to require a information that all prostitutes take regular health examine, and ensure that she or he is not carrying a sexually transmitted diesease like AIDs or HIV. Therefore Sex worker may get weekly tests. It would give employment rights to prostitutes: They can get rights like minimum wage, weekly holidays, freedom from discrimination , and a safe work environment etc.. Reduce violence Against Prostitutes: If prostitution is legalized then they can call the cops in case of any violence and may reduce force sex. Well-regulated and Legalized would pave way for licenses and registration, whereby workers would have their own identity, access to public facilities, and other services. Which leads to both safe and profitable.

Prostitution should be legal due to it being a victim-free crime. Prostitution is an immoral act. The reason it is such a bad "deed" being is because there is no commitment involved. So if a prostitute gets pregnant then she either gets an abortion, or keeps the kid and has to raise it by herself. Both of these outcomes are bad for the prostitute. Legalizing this "profession" would only hurt the people involved.

Prostitutes will be safer under legalisation As we have shown, prostitution will always exist whether it is legal or not. Therefore, we need to look at whether prostitutes will be safer with legalisation. They most definitely will be. It is important that prostitutes and safe and free from harm. There are many reasons why women go into prostitution. Often it is due to financial desperation and/or children commitments. These women are in a very vulnerable position and it is very important that we ensure they are as safe and healthy as can be. Prostitutes are subject to gangs, violence, drugs and rape. Prostitutes are often forced to take drugs by the gangs who employ (or own) them so as to make them addicted. This means they have no way to escape.[[http://www.un.org/rights/dpi1772e.htm]] There is also no regulation, which means prostitutes are subject to unprotected sex and rape from countless people, which means they invariably become infected with AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases[[http://www.caps.ucsf.edu/pubs/FS/revsexworkers.php]]. When the market is legalised, it is no longer controlled by gangs. This is because legal businesses operate the industry instead. This is better for prostitutes as they no longer suffer the horrific abuses that they face under a system of illegal prostitution. This is because legal businesses face regulation. They are required by law to ensure that contraception is used by their employees. They are also required to ensure that their employees are healthy by directing them to appropriate medical treatment when it is necessary. When legal its easier to monitor. This is because the government knows how many prostitutes there are, where they are located, and what issues are affecting the industry. This is beneficial as the government can better plan appropriate health and social policies. Prostitutes are legitimate stakeholders that need protection. Under our model, we better protect prostitutes. They are safer, they are healthier, and they are happier

Prostitution should be legal First of all, did you even look at the structure I proposed? With this, we'll be unable to provide rebuttals, as your next round is going to be your opening statements and I'll have to waive the last round. Why do I have to post my argument before yours? You instigated the debate! You should've known that you'd have to go first. Anyway, here are my arguments for prostitution. A. Reduction of Crime I. Rhode Island's Prostitution and Its Effects on Rape and STDsIn Rhode Island, for nearly three decades, prostitution was practically legal through a loophole in the law. "...examined rates of rape and STDs in Rhode Island from about 2003, the year a court case exposed the inadvertent legalization, to 2009, when the loophole was closed."Their paper, Decriminalizing Indoor Prostitution: Implications for Sexual Violence and Public Health, published recently by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that the world's oldest profession prospered after 2003, when folks realized it was essentially legit." [1] What did the authors find through this study? "The pair found that rape decreased by almost one-third, down 31 percent. Gonorrhea decreased by 39 percent." [1] This was in Rhode Island alone! Can this not be an example for the rest of America to follow?II. Sex Trafficking Reduction"Itâ€™s estimated that there are around 30 million victims of human trafficking around the world. More than half of the victims (55 percent) are women or girls."According to the International Labor Organization, human trafficking generates around $150 billion per year. Two-thirds of this money ($99 billion) comes from commercial sexual exploitation."The United States is not immune to the perils of this disgusting industry. Somewhere between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year. The vast majority of these individuals are trafficked for sex work." [2]But does prostitution reduce this? In fact, yes! In one example, after Germany made prostitution legal, sex trafficking went down by about 10%. [3] B. MoneyI. Saving MoneyIn the United States, Nevada is the only state to currently allow prostitution. The rest of the U.S has made prostitution illegal. Despite this, money can certainly be saved if only it was legal. "In the U.S., law enforcement agencies spend at least $2,000 for each arrest of a sex worker â€" that includes the arrest, court, and imprisonment costs. And with the vast number of sex workers in the country, it costs the government more than $120 million a year on prostitution control." [4]That makes for a hefty price tag, especially when you consider that there are one million prostitutes in America alone. [5] If it was illegal in the United States, all this money could be saved. II. Making MoneyThis is a simple argument. In America, illegal prostitution businesses don't pay any taxes. However, if brothels were made legal, then they can be made to pay taxes like any other business. "Since counties began legalizing prostitution in the early 1970s, they have been reaping an economic benefit from a variety of brothel-related revenue sources, including licensing fees, property tax, work card fees and liquor licenses. In total the sources pump more than $10 million into county coffers annually, according to one state study." [6]C. Prostitution Is A Victimless CrimeIn prostitution, no one is necessarily harmed as long as it's two consenting adults. So, in a way, it's similar to porn but without the camera. Both are seen as a career where you engage in sexual acts for money. How are they different? (Besides the obvious lack of media.) "'Prostitution should not be a crime. Prostitutes are not committing an inherently harmful act. While the spread of disease and other detriments are possible in the practice of prostitution, criminalization is a sure way of exacerbating rather than addressing such effects. We saw this quite clearly in the time of alcohol prohibition in this country."'...What makes prostitution a "victimless crime" in the sense that no one is necessarily harmed by it is that there are consenting adults involved.;'" [7]D. Free ChoiceAgain, like I said before, prostitution isn't inherently or intentionally trying to hurt anyone. Why can't it be legal, as long as it doesn't restrict the freedoms of others. It's their body, so they should be allowed to go along with their lives however they see fit. ConclusionThank you. I look forward to your opening statements. Good bye. Citations[1]http://www.laweekly.com...[2]http://elitedaily.com...[3]http://www.thedailybeast.com...[4]http://www.listland.com...[5]http://www.businessinsider.com...[6]http://www.jour.unr.edu...[7]http://prostitution.procon.org...

The United States Federal Government should legalize prostitution. Thanks again to kasmic, and let's kick this debate off in style! I'll start by presenting my policy, which expands the system currently available in U.S. a state where prostitution is legal (Nevada) to all states by federal legislative means. This means that legal brothels will be opened and regulated like any other business, including wage laws, employment laws, and taxation. Brothels will be required to allocate a fair amount of money to their prostitutes rather than taking out a huge cut for themselves, as is currently the case. They will be required to have clean facilities, hire only adults, get their prostitutes tested regularly for STDs, and require the use of contraception to prevent the spread of disease and pregnancy. Now that that's out of the way, let's move into advantages. 1) Safety The reality is that prostitution is alive and well in this country, and that it will happen whether or not we do anything about it. That system, however, allows the widespread harms that currently exist for them, and as this encompasses as many as 2 million people, it's not a problem we can ignore. The women involved in this system are often so afraid to leave it due to abuse by their pimps that even those who find it untenable cannot leave.[1] Beyond that, many women are simply dependent upon the money they earn in this system as other job opportunities are not available to them, often because they have suffered so much abuse as children, including rape and incest, that they simply don't have the wherewithal to take on another job.[2] This means that we're currently forcing them into these abusive situations in order to survive. Enforcement is, itself, harmful. 62,668 people were arrested in 2010 are arrested each year for solicitation of sex, taking up valuable police time and crowding our prisons and jails at huge cost through both the trial and incarceration.[3] This isn't just a cost issue (more on that later). There are actually two substantial problems with this. The first is a lack of reporting actual crimes like rape and forced sex, both things that happen in the current system. In many countries, police are actually contributing to the problem, and police in the U.S. have actively shut down information services that would ameliorate the problem.[4, 5] The second is that the psychological implications go well beyond the duration of imprisonment. Whether we're talking about PTSD, diminished self-worth, severe difficulties with reintegration into society, social withdrawal, interpersonal distrust, or any of the many other documented psychological harms to prisoners, this is a tremendous problem, and one that leads to breaking down families and lives.[6] The law also consigns prostitution to being a criminal enterprise, which is the reason why things like human trafficking are such tremendous concerns " an industry built on crime is not going to care if they add a few more illegal practices to the mix. A legal industry has a lot more to lose by engaging in blatantly illegal activities. Criminalization of prostitutes has actually done more harm than good, as "anti-trafficking discussions on demand have historically been stymied by anti-prostitution efforts to eradicate the sex work sector by criminalizing clients," which means that these efforts have simply "not reduced trafficking or sex work".[7] Looking at STDs, even the World Health Organization advocates for decriminalization for the sake of public health.[8] Nevada has substantially lowered their prevalence and incidence, to the point that a job that's more broadly legalized, namely porn stars, are actually in worse shape than prostitutes.[9] Even decriminalization, a very basic response that is only the most basic part of my policy, has been effective in other states like Rhode Island at reducing STD rates, as well as rape.[10, 11] Please note that this isn't just a benefit for the prostitutes themselves " sexual violence and STD incidence both decreased in the state population as a whole. Other studies have found that reduced homicide and rape rates country-wide are "anti-correlated with the availability of prostitution. It is estimated that if prostitution were legalized in the United States, the rape rate would decrease by roughly 25% for a decrease of approximately 25,000 rapes per year."[12] The protection from physical abuse is even stronger. There are fewer instances of violence, rape and disease in the Nevada system.[13] I solve for a great deal of this just by allowing prostitutes mobility out from under abusive pimps and johns, who are responsible for an average of 16 and 33 reported rapes per year, respectively.[14] 82% are physically assaulted, 83% are threatened with a weapon, and nearly 70% have been raped since becoming a prostitute.[15] If implemented on a country-wide basis, it's estimated that we would have 25,000 fewer rapes in this country.[14] Murder, which goes at 20 times the national average among prostitutes, would also be ameliorated by both regulation and dramatically improved reporting structures.[15, 16] All of these impacts to life loss and suffering are dramatic. 2) Justice There are a number of reasons why prostitution should be legal for the sake of justice. But in order to understand this, I first need to frame what a job is. Fundamentally, a job is a negotiated task agreed to by legally consenting individuals, usually involving some pay being given to the person completing the task. As adult human beings, we have the freedom to take on any number of jobs, ranging from the mundane and safe to the extraordinary and dangerous. And the only thing that gets in the way of any individual adult's ability to acquire these jobs is finding someone who will hire you for the purpose. I would say that the ability for these negotiations to proceed is itself a civil liberty. Human beings have a fundamental right to work, something that can easily be established by looking at international law. We can look to any number of sources. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states it plainly in Article 23.1.[17] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is unequivocal as well, and this can be found in Part III, Article 6.[18] I think these all firmly establish the right to work quite clearly, and as long as this right exists, it must be extended to all adult, capable human beings. So what does it mean to deny this right? It's dehumanizing. Denying work to people who would otherwise be able to get it denies their agency as individuals. The law is currently engaging in this dehumanization, engaging in the unjust decision to illegalize a line of work that 1% of all American women have engaged in at some point in their lives.[9] Since this is an industry dominated by women, it's even more unjust, as it's a discriminatory practice that predominantly affects a single sex. 3) Costs This breaks down into 2 sources of cost savings included in my policy. A) Arrests, court and incarceration fees Taken together, these average roughly $2,000 per arrestee. For cities, this means an average of $7.5 million on prostitution, and taken country-wide, that cost adds up to roughly $200 million per year.[19, 20] While the costs of regulation replace some of these, those costs are already built into basic regulation systems already in place, and the cost of expanding them to a new industry are minimal by comparison. B) Taxation Prostitution is an $18 billion industry, and even if we assume 0 growth following legalization, the government stands to earn $6 billion in federal income taxes and $2 billion in licensing fees.[21] In both cases, the resulting finances are substantial. Most of the costs and bureaucracies of regulation, as in Nevada, are borne by the brothels themselves, creating a barrier to entry that also ensures that unsavory owners simply cannot even start in the industry.[22] But these costs aren't the only ones that affect the capacities of criminals to engage in basic harms like human trafficking. A black market keeps prices high. Legalization reduces the pricing schemes for prostitutes, mainly as a result of competition and increased availability.[23] As such, those engaging in human trafficking garner reduced compensation. results in much reduced revenue for human traffickers. This might seem like a small issue, but a human trafficker is doing it for the money, and it costs quite a bit to kidnap someone, hold them against their will, transport them over long distances, and keep them docile after they arrive. These are not small concerns, and these costs are actually enhanced by regulations that would screen many of these women regularly, regulate these brothels directly, and allow these women contact with police that doesn't result in their incarceration. All of these reduce the economic benefit of acquiring sex slaves, and thus reduce their value. All of this means the government is receiving billions in revenue and paying hundreds of millions fewer to boot. Those funds can be spent on better enforcement of human trafficking, more effective education systems and rehabilitation facilities to give these women more job options, better health care systems, the list of possible options is tremendous. Any of them is a more effective choice than a failed system of enforcement that drives prostitution underground, leading to pimps controlling law enforcement with sexual favors and feeding organized crime.[24, 25] Over to Con! 1. bit.ly/1yfSJuL 2. bit.ly/1E7wL4w 3. bit.ly/1CVL5rx 4. bit.ly/1G2q1Dj 5. bit.ly/1ITpOpo 6. 1.usa.gov/1FOkAu5 7. bit.ly/1ETll3H 8. bit.ly/1qLoOpK 9. huff.to/1E7wpLI 10. on.wsj.com/1n3kAx5 11. wapo.st/1G4iy9E 12. bit.ly/1xjgS8z 13. bit.ly/1EI2KU2 14. bit.ly/1Cfg4Ra 15. bit.ly/1xDkByi 16. bit.ly/19pV7YM 17. bit.ly/1bnFjmW 18. bit.ly/J1E1V3 19. bit.ly/1HO6Yzy 20. bit.ly/1BPdv4F 21. bit.ly/1FOjv5h 22. read.bi/1H2Rggx 23. ti.me/1cU8ICJ 24. bit.ly/1Bx22Yz 25. bit.ly/1m3Hllw

Legalizing Prostitution Having other resources other than prostitution to earn money would be ideal. It should not be the fallback option for young girls when every person has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In brothels, there is abuse and threats that prevent the girls from leaving the brothel if they choose something else. If they choose prostitution, they will most likely not get out of it until the men decide that the women are not physically appealing anymore. Again, damage to self-esteem and overall usefulness throughout society goes down. If anyone really wants to help these people, they should open poor houses rather than legalize prostitution.

Prostitution should be legalized If prostitution were legalized it could be run like a more conventional business. Test can be given to both the prostitute and the customer to check and see if they have any STDs. Also, prostitution could be run in an office building or lodge of some sort and eliminate the need for the women to work in dangerous places. And, you said that this is degrading. Not every prostitute finds her job degrading. Also, plenty of people would gladly push aside their morals for the kind of money that high-end prostitutes make. Who are we to tell people how to live their life morally on matters such as this?

Help control prostitution If prostitution was legalised then attempts to control the business would be made. Those who prostitute themselves would be in safer environment and measures could be taken to control those who come into the business. This would also mean that there could be more steps taken when any violent acts or wrongdoings such as not paying could be controlled and then actually prosecuted if needed.

Everyone has AIDS. AIDS, AIDS, AIDS. As we’ve mentioned in our previous point, prostitution will take place whether it is legal or not. We believe prostitution should be legal. By regulating brothels and the conditions for prostitution through regular health checks, condoms et cetera, we can make sure prostitutes are safe from HIV. In places where prostitution is illegal, it is merely driven underground; controlled by cartels and gangs. In this situation prostitutes live under no rights[[http://bjc.oxfordjournals.org/content/47/3/515.full]] Moreover they tend to be associated with drugs, they are hooked by dealers who force them into prostitution to fund thri habit, through multiple sexual partners and needle sharing there is significant risks of HIV.[[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2372/is_4_35/ai_53390350/]]. If a sex worker contracts AIDS, a man or woman client using them will be at risk of contracting the virus, they then run the risk of not knowing that they have it, infecting other sexual partners and the cycle continues. Also let us not forget future children who contract the disease while in the uterus. So it is in countries where prostitution is illegal where we can’t keep sex workers safe from AIDS. In these countries prostitutes aren’t even allowed to be prostitutes. They tend to enter the profession because they have no other way of earning money or they may be forced to do it. On the other hand, if prostitution is legal and regulations are put in place, sex workers will be safer from STI’s and HIV/AIDS. Regular health checks will pick up any possible infections and there will be laws to protect the well-being of sex workers. What’s more, these laws will not only protect sex workers, but their clients too. Making prostitution legal will improve the work conditions of people who have to go into prostitution for one reason or another and will protect society from a further spreading of HIV/AIDS. This is a signifcant benefit to greater society and individual workers and cl

Prostitution should be legalized in the US Thanks to FT for taking this. I look forward to an interesting and good debate. A way this can work would be similar to how it works in other places and in Nevada. There would be legal brothels that are opened. This would run the same as any other normal business, meaning the federal government would regulate it. This includes and is not limited to taxes, paying the prostitutes, and making sure their is proper medical care and pay for the prostitutes that working their.C1) Regulation The issue with not regulating something is that you risk the activity still occurring whether or not you regulate it. Meaning even with prostitution being illegal, prostitution is still going to occur. It is estimated that between 84,000 - 150,000 women work as prostitutes yearly in the US[1]. Just in 2007 alone there was nearly 78,000 arrests due to prostitution, and this number is considered conservative because most people are not caught[1]. A primary thing to be aware of is that this occurs with anything that is banned and not regulated properly. Look at marijuana in the US. It is still illegal in quite a few places, but the underground market for it is insanely high. If people can find a way to make money illegally and without paying taxes they are going to do it. Regulating prostitution does quite a few things. It stops violence, keeps prostitutes healthy, and allows us to tax it. A) SafetyPeople that often get into prostitution do it because they have no other choice. Meaning they are not educated well enough to get a job that pays enough to sustain them, or they want to do it and don't know what they are getting into. This sadly includes people who were raped, abused, or beaten as children[2]. Once women enter into this job they submit to their pimp. Their pimp pays them, he loans them out, and he basically abuses them. The issue with not regulating prostitution and allowing it to happen that way is it subjects women to all types of abuse and psychical harm. Most prostitutes in the industry tend to get raped in their lifetime[3]. Even more tend to get assaulted or physically abused [3]. Opening up brothels for women that want to be prostitutes allows them to engage in prostitution but engage in it in a safe and controlled manner. With the brothels being regulated like a regular business there is no chance of rape or physical abuse occurring . My adversary may say that prostitution will still occur under the radar which is true, but what regulating does is mitigate that down to a minuscule amount. If a women has the choice to go to a business and get paid like a normal job vs going to pimp, there is a very high chance they are going to go the brothel instead. It gives them guaranteed money by federal law, it gives them medical care, and it reduces the chance of harm to them in comparison to working underground. Experts actually estimate that if prostitution was legalized in the US , rape would decrease by nearly 25 percent in the us alone which is nearly 25,000 rapes per year[5][6]. Not just that but a study in Queensland shows that when brothels were closed and shut down, rapes increased nearly 150% percent[5][6]. This shows a direct correlation between rapes and non regulation of prostitution. B) Medical and STDSNot regulating prostitution also opens up a whole new type of problem. The women tend to get diseases because of lack of medical care. A pimp is not going to care if they have condoms or go to a doctor for check ups. Regulating the Industry allows the government to make sure they are taken care of as business owners would be required to make sure their medical needs are met. Prostitution is legal in Nevada and it is regulated so well that ironically Porn Stars have a higher STD rate that prostitutes[4]. Most studies show that women who had sex with men and worked as prostitutes report sad statistics. 47 % of women expected to have sex without a condom all the time, 73% reported that men offered to pay additional money if they had sex without a condom, and over 40% reported that they were abused when they mentioned using a condom at all[7]. Upon Inadvertently decriminalizing indoor prostitution in Rhode Island from 2003 to 2009, the state saw a giant decrease in rape and STDS[8]C) CostsThis is a huge impact because you gain the benefit of taxation of the industry and cutting the incarceration rate for those that participate in the industry. Nearly 200 million dollars a year is spent on incarceration rates alone [9]. Per arrest on someone soliciting sex, it generally cost around $2,000 for each individual arrest. You up this to a larger national scale, you are looking at nearly 200 million dollars a year alone we spend in arresting prostitutes. That 200 million could be invested back into proper regulation, thus reducing the harm, and used for other programs. It is far to much to spend on arresting prostitutes, while keeping it illegal to begin with causes a net harm. We are basically paying 200 million dollars to maintain a ban that is a net detriment to society. Taxation is another major impact. We would gain nearly 20 billion dollars a year by regulating prostitution annually[11]. Prostitution itself is somewhere along a 16-20 billion dollar industry as is [12]. If we regulate it an estimated influx would occur and you would earn nearly 20 billion dollars of taxation alone, and this is just off the estimated influx alone. This number could easily jump to 30 or 40 billion dollars. C2) ConsentThis is a basic argument in itself but 2 consenting adults having sex is just that two consenting adults having sex. The reasons they are having sex is a non factor. In almost any case prostitution acts just like any other job. You do a certain task for money. Prostitution is no different. You are performing an act in which both parties are consenting for that has no negative effects and which is perfectly legal in every other regard, in exchange for payment. Sex is perfectly legal, so performing sexy for money should be allowed as any other task that you do for money as long as it is taxed and regulated. OverviewLegalizing prostitution will(1) Reduce crime(2) Reduce rapes(3) Reduce Stds(4) allow us to tax it(5) cut unnecessary spending(6) Uphold common consent. Sources[1] http://tinyurl.com...[2] http://tinyurl.com...[3] http://tinyurl.com...[4] http://tinyurl.com...[5] http://tinyurl.com...[6] http://tinyurl.com...[7] http://tinyurl.com...[8] http://tinyurl.com...[9]http://tinyurl.com...[10] http://tinyurl.com...[11] http://tinyurl.com...[12] http://tinyurl.com...

Prostitution Should be Legalized throughout the United States I will start by defining my argument with three contentions. My contentions are as follows: A) It is the choice of the person as to whether or not they engage in any activity regarding prostitution (Becoming, or hiring one) B) Laws against prostitution are invasive to the personal choices of Americans and, therefore, not as the founding fathers intended. C) Regulations and taxes on prostitution could generate revenue for the US government. D) Legalization with regulation would help prevent other more serious crimes/troubles such as Human Trafficking, Child molestation, Pimping, and the spread of infectious disease. My first contention regards the rights of each individual to choose for themselves. Any person wishing to engage in prostitution or to employ a prostitute should have the right to pursue that choice, assuming that they aren't infringing upon the rights of others. A person should not be able to force someone into prostitution, or force them to hire one. If a person chose to become a prostitute for money, empowerment, excitement, etc. that is their choice. The same is true for anyone wanting to hire a prostitute. This also strongly relates to my second contentions My second contention is that laws prohibiting prostitution are A) usually based on religious morals and therefore against the ideal of separation of church and state and therefore unconstitutional, and B) against the non-interventionist civil libertarian ideals of the founding fathers. This is evident in that laws against prostitution prevent people from their inalienable right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. If being a prostitute is what truly makes you happy, or is necessary to reach another happiness, then you should be allowed to become a prostitute. My third contention is that regulation of prostitution and taxation could bring in extra revenue for the US government. If states put a special tax on prostitution there would be a significant increase in local GDP. Prostitution and pornography account for a whopping $122 billion dollars of untapped GDP in he US. My fourth contention regards the safety of prostitution. Human trafficking, violent abuse, child molestation, and the spread of infectious disease all spawn from the fact that prostitution is illegal and therefore not under any kind of regulation. (2) With prostitution legalized, the victims of said crimes could be better protected, and said crimes could be prevented, through organizations such as OSHA and ICPR. Prostitutes could work legitimately, and find better job safety. They wouldn't be dependent on a pimp. With licensing and organization, prostitutes could be given health benefits by legitimate employers, and protected from violent customers. Prostitutes AND their clients could be protected from disease through licensing, testing, condoms, and other safety measures that could be achieved through organization, legitimization, regulation, and, ultimately, legalization. I think I have clearly shown that the benefits of legal prostitution in the US shows great promise. I await my opponents response eagerly! 1. . http://www.csub.edu... 2. . http://www.mapsofworld.com...

Prostitution should be legalised Good luck to both of us! I'll like to begin by saying that prostitution should not be legalized. Firstly, my opponent gives reasons against this, the first being economic benefits. While it's true that revenue could come from such services is it really that significant of a difference? How would it be any different if any other service was legalized? For example, legalizing marijuana across the United States and taxing it would generate between $10 billion and $14 billion annually alone. . http://www.prohibitioncosts.org... Not only is this a significant amount, but it's also now a victimless crime. Secondly, my opponent moves on to discuss worker and societal benefits of prostitution. Legalizing prostitution could lead to problems in these areas such as STD's, unwanted pregnancies, abusive pimps, etc. Legalizing prostitution would also lead to empowering pimps. They would be able to unrestrictedly engage in sex trade activities with little regulation, many of whom do it against their will. Legalizing prostitution also means legalizing pimps. These same pimps may also be engaged in other activities such as the drug trade which is illegal. A prostitute working for a pimp may also be greatly restricted in where she can go, whom she can see, and even abuse her for disobeying. . http://www.prostitutionresearch.com... Another issue worth noting is the fact that in many cases, prostitution can led to the objectification of women. This is of particular concern to feminists, many of whom oppose prostitution on those grounds. . http://www.feministissues.com... Lastly, there is the issue of STD's. According to some studies the rates of STD's among women in prostitution is much higher, some as high as 85% coming into contact with some form of sexually transmitted disease. . http://www.uri.edu... Although a much smaller number of these cases are serious it would no doubt be uncomfortable walking around with these viruses. Another problem would be the risk of spreading them among other clients. Both the client and the prostitute would be at risk rather than just the prostitute. Now to my opponent. .. Good luck.