I guess the title poses a funny question.

Well is it ever going to go away? No! For one reason or another; men and women like to have sex with strangers. Maybe they do not find their partner attractive any more, perhaps they want to be more or less controlling or they do not have anyone to be intimate with.

Who cares? It happens, there is a demand and there are people willing to meet the need! So should there be a move to help legalise it? Organise it? Protect it?

There are so many men who beat, rape and kill prostitutes and if you do not think it matters; I urge you to think again! They are people and they have human rights whatever their occupation.

So how can we stop the beatings, rapes and murders? Should we follow what they have done in other parts of Europe? Why not legalise, organise and protect prostitution? The system would ensure that the prostitutes have regular health checks which will prevent the spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s). It would mean that an area/areas are organised to provide this service and that it remains constant, rather than, an underground service that keeps moving from place to place as they are discovered or people complain. It would avoid becoming a ‘seedy’ area which nobody wants to walk through. Also the people that work there would be protected so that they are not abused!

Do you have any arguments against this?

Agreeing does not mean that you condone the occupation or the people who use the service; but it DOES mean that you are realistic, humane and logical.

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2 Comments

Sagar Shah · December 27, 2008 at 3:07 am

I think that sex is something that most humans desire, and the sad reality is that not everyone is going to be able have a great sex life (with an ideal partner). The consequence of this is that a market for prostitution exists, and will continue to exist in the future.

In general, I am for the legalisation of prostitution if it leads to the better welfare of sex-workers and ensures that prostitution is safer.

Unfortunately, I think there are two possible downsides of the legalisation of prostitution – but I think the benefits outweigh the costs…

1) Legalisation of prostitution in an area where it is illegal for surrounding countries / cities may lead to sex-tourism, lead to an influx of sex workers and result in an even larger underground sex industry (imagine if their is a regulated sex sector with high prices, there then there would be an incentive for existing blackmarket ‘pimps’ to provide services at a lower price). This could be damaging to other areas of the legalising country/city and end up in more people being abused

2) Legalisation of prostitution may relax societial attitudes towards extra-marital sex and may have a negative impact on relationships. For example, young adults who regularly use prostitutes pre-marriage (who would have otherwise avoided doing so) may find their sex lives in marriage – and this may result in damage to the quality of relationships.

However, the legalisation of prostitution may also actually have a postive impact on relationships. By reducing the risk of picking up a sexually transmitted disease, it is easier for individuals wanting to engage in sex but may not be able to (i.e. people who may live far away from partners, or partners who may not be able to perform sexually due to illness or medical condition) to enjoy safe sex without having to engage in an affair.

An interesting book which delves into the impact of various policies on behaviour and social outcomes is called ‘more sex is safer sex’ by Steven Landsburg. A very interesting read – I would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoyed reading Freakonomics.

    Heena Modi · January 3, 2009 at 1:34 pm

    Wow! Some deep insights. Thanks for sharing them. I guess it’s now clear how ‘grey’ the topic is.

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