Should the US government legalize prostitution?
I think before the government as a whole does anything radical like this, it should be tested in a state. I think that I read somewhere that Hawaii was pondering legalizing it. Correct me if I’m wrong. One of the most important aspects of the American republic is the various levels of government. Since states have a lot of power, they can serve as testing grounds for potential national programs. For example, if universal healthcare were to work out very well in California, the national government may consider it. Personally, I would never wish to buy a prostitute. However, there are prostitutes out there. Nothing is going to stop them. Legalizing them may reduce the spread of STDs.
Well it can’t legalize it for the simple reason it isn’t currently illegal: there is no Federal statute prohibiting prostitution, and none that requires (or even pressures) States to make it and keep it illegal. Prostitution laws are simply a State, County & Municipal matter. And last I checked it was legal in Nevada. But all the libertarian “It’s none of the government’s business” assertions are just false. We’re not talking about recreational sex between consenting adults. Prostitution is a business transaction. As soon as money changes hands it becomes the business of the IRS, the Commerce Department, the Health Department, the CDC, the Labor department, OSHA, the Zoning Board … in short, just about every Federal, State, and local regulatory agency there is. For better or for worse, governments have been granted the authority to regulate commerce in their jurisdictions, even to the point of forbidding certain trades and products within their jurisdictions, for whatever reason they
There is no federal ban on prostitution in the USA. It’s up to the states (county or city in states where it’s legal). I think it’s better for it to be legal because services can be provided in a controlled environment. There would likely be less STD transmissions, fewer incidences of violence, etc. In states where it’s illegal, such as California, there are prostitutes who work in the streets who are drug addicted and likely infected with STD’s who managed by pimps who have been known to be violent. In Nevada where it’s legal, STD testing is required, services are provided in a specific place, etc. I doubt very much that these places of business are going to have drug addicted, STD infected employees who are going to drive away business.
If you care about the welfare of women who chose this as their profession, yes it should be at least decriminalised, regulated and protected. Like the war on drugs, the laws on prostitution are based on Christian morality, not practicality or reality. It’s the forceful imposition of a moral ideal on a society that is more diverse than the thinking allows for. Women in Amsterdam have legal protection to ply their trade, and because of this, they can make their own money, have no need for some parasitic pimp in the equation, have health care, pay taxes and are entitled to the benefits afforded to any business. They also have complete control over who they take on. Compare that to the U.S where the dysfunctions of morally based legislation are apparent. Unhealthy, diseased and often drug addicted women who prowl the seedy areas of most cities, for quick sex in cars or dirty rooms. Where pimps and criminal gangs control them and force them to earn. Where they have no legal protection leavi
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