Should We Legalize Prostitution?
Prostitution1
Dollars and Sex
Former IMF chief/Sex-Scandal Magnet Dominique Strauss Kahn was back
in the news again this week. And the fact that he is being investigated
for his involvement with sex workers in France wasn't the most
intriguing part of the story.... Reading about his latest PR debacle, I
realized for the first time that while profiting as a pimp or madam is
against the law in France, paying for sex is perfectly legal. In fact
this is true of many countries around the world - including Canada! So,
that got us wondering: Is the United States' conservative stance
protecting women's rights or hurting them? Is it worth the government
missing out on multi millions of taxable dollars to uphold a moral code
by turning a blind eye on reality? Or, could legalizing the oldest
profession bring much needed regulation to those who partake -while
increasing the government's profit margin?
What Happens In Nevada...
Minus the rest of the United States, prostitution is legal in
certain counties of the state of Nevada. Because Nevada only legalized
prostitution in counties with
low populations, it means it is
still illegal in Las Vegas... In the counties where it is legal,
revenues are produced through the same avenues as other businesses -
license fees, taxes etc. So, extrapolating these fees to a mass market
like Vegas - and you're talking potentially hundreds of millions of
dollars in lost revenues. Like so many other "sin taxes" (cigarettes,
alcohol), it doesn't seem quite as sinful when you think about putting
those dollars towards health care, social services and education ...
157722775_working_xlargeWorker's Rights
Okay, so aside from government revenues, what about the individual
sex worker? Pro-legalization points to the fact that legalizing
prostitution includes many heath regulations - meaning the workers would
be better off due to regulations requiring the use of condoms and
weekly STD testing. In addition, with legalization of industries of
course comes unions, which many argue would greatly empower sex workers
and help protect their interests...
Female Empowerment
In addition to financial considerations, there is another very big
cost - the cost of freedom of choice for adults of legal age. Even among
our own group of friends there is a huge debate on this topic - are
women victims of prostitution? Or are sex workers really in charge of
their own destiny and own decision making? Though these questions are
not in and of themselves financial, they are the moral queries behind
what makes this profession illegal in the first place.
Recessionary Thinking
Paraphrasing the lawyer in the Strauss Kahn case, you can think
that something is morally reprehensible, but that doesn't mean it should
be illegal... OR should it? Is our country missing out on millions of
taxable revenue dollars and the opportunity to help better protect the
millions of people who now illegally engage in sex for money? Or should
we continue to ignore an age old practice and legislate based on our
moral code and ethics?
We want to know what you think!
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