Legalizing Prostitution
Prostitution has become one of the biggest problems in American. The debate whether to legalize prostitution is a controversial issue for law enforcers, government officials, within elections, and in personal conversations. Many make presumptions about prostitution without knowing the facts. Society today believes prostitution is demoralizing to ones self and to ones country, bringing hatred and disagreeable attitudes toward legalization. If these people actually knew the facts, would it change their mind? Prostitution is known as selling ones body for material things such as money. According to Ms. Almodvar, a former Las Angeles police officer, “Everyone who works sells one of more parts of his or her body. Athletes, actors, actresses, and construction workers sell their body everyday” (McWilliams). These thoughts reside in me everyday which brought me to a question I wanted answered: Should prostitution be legalized? I hope this research paper will not only broaden people’s perspectives on prostitution, but also, inform people on the subject so they too can then make an educated argument on the legalization of prostitution.
Although prostitution has just recently become a huge issue, it has been around for centuries, existing in nearly all societies throughout history (Prostitution 2). In the Middle Ages, prostitutes began passing unwanted diseases to clients. The first case of Syphilis was reported
in 1845 amongst French Soldiers, spreading into Europe, then around the world. After the spread of disease, prostitution became illegal in most societies around the globe (Ringdal). With a few exceptions, prostitution has been illegal since the US gained its freedom. In the 1800’s prostitution began to flourish in New Orleans, LA because the city was under the rule of the French. The French punished prostitutes by sending them to New Orleans. Once gained back by US territory, New Orleans decided to legalize prostitution and opened...