Why Prostitution Should Not Be Legalized - Free Essay Example

1)To a number of people, prostitution is considered to be one of the most dangerous jobs in America today. 2) Prostitution should not be decriminalized because it has many negative effects on society and the workers. 3) I have done extensive research and have gathered many different opinions on this subject matter. 4) I am against the legalization of prostitution because it promotes violence against women, it leads to sex trafficking, it is not a victimless crime, and most women do not do this by choice. *On to my first point.* Body I. Prostitution as a whole promotes violence against women. A. Violence focused toward women is a major problem today in society. This is seen in cases of rape, murder, sex-trafficking, domestic abuse, and assault. B. With violence aimed towards women, this makes even an office workplace dangerous, but nothing compared to the work environment of a prostitute. According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, a survey of (854) former prostitutes uncovered that 72% had been physically assaulted and 62% had been raped during prostitution. C.With the ever-growing problem of violence against women, we can not afford to feed that with the legalization of prostitution. Transition statement II. Prostitution ultimately leads to sex-trafficking. A. Sex-trafficking is a major problem in the US today. DoSomething.Org states that each year among 14,550 and 17,400 people are trafficked into the United States. These trafficked people will mostly be women and children and will be forced into manual labor or to work as prostitutes. B. With the legalization of prostitution the numbers are undoubtedly going to increase. Harvard Law School conducted a search and they found that countries with legalized prostitution correlate with a higher sex-trafficking rate. C. Therefore, if we legalize prostitution ,we will be letting more women and children fall prey to the ever growing sex-trafficking problem. Transition statement III. On the contrary to what people might think, prostitution is NOT a victimless crime. A. The dictionary defines victimless crime as a legal offense that both parties consent and results in no party injured. Prostitution is not a victimless crime; all prostitution causes harm to women. Melissa Farley, who has a Phd in Prostitution Research and Education, states that prostitution is sexual harassment, physical abuse, rape, battering, domestic violence, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, and is a consequence of male domination. B. If this abuse was aimed towards a non-prostitute female, the perpetrator would be apprehended and sentenced. Yet, it happens to prostitutes frequently, because prostitutes are invisible. C. If we decriminalize prostitution, we will be promoting the physical and emotional harm of prostitutes . Transition statement IV. Most women of this profession do not do this by choice, so why promote it? A. Women do not wake up and decide to be a prostitute. B. Referencing my first point, when the National Criminal Justice Reference Service conducted the survey, they also uncovered that 90% of the former prostitutes had wanted to escape from prostitution but had no other options. If they do not choose this way of life, then why exploit them for their so-called choice C. A large number of prostitutes stay in this line of work because they need money and they have no rational choices left. D. If we legalize prostitution we will be letting more females fall into the sandtrap of prostitution, and we wont help them out.