OP/ED: The Pimp Cane

Prostitution should be legalized because it will allow the government to have more control over what is happening. This will allow the government to eliminate the pimps, allow the ladies to keep their cash, make sure nobody is getting hurt, and most importantly, keep up the heath of the public.


Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for money or other kinds of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. A person selling sexual favors is a prostitute, a type of sex worker. In a more general sense of the word, anyone selling their services for a cause thought to be unworthy can be described as prostituting themselves. Prostitutes and their clients represent both sexes and all sexual preferences. Male, female, anything goes in the �sex-for-sale� industry. There are many types of prostitution. The most common is street prostitution. This involves the prostitutes trying to lure their customers out form their cars to pay for sex-related activities. Other types of prostitution include brothels, which are places operated for prostitution, and escorts services, the customer calls an agency and the act takes place at the customer's place of residence or more commonly at his/her hotel room.

Prostitution started perhaps with Babylon, where each woman had to reach, once in their lives, the sanctuary of Militta and there have sex with a foreigner as a sign of hospitality for a symbolic price.

No business can afford to create a product for which there are no buyers. The first step in understanding the sex industry is to understand the customers, the johns. These are customers that are willing to pay for sexual services. These people range from 18 year old students to 70 year old men. These people are not �sick� as some may like to think; rather they are your everyday people, who simply want their need met. Sadists are people who have the ability to take pleasure in another person's fear, pain, or humiliation. These are the people that the prostitutes have problems with. These are the kinds of people that kidnap prostitutes; these are the people that cause the real harm.

Pimps are the foot soldiers of the sex industry. Typically, they are small time criminals, who have a high need for sadistic gratification. Referring back into this essay it is the sadistic type that cause harm to the prostitutes. Currently it is those kinds of people that are in control of the prostitutes. Safely need to be established.

With the legalization of prostitution it would allow the government to run it, the ladies to keep the money (the price the government would set) and eliminate the pimps. In prostitution, the john performs the sex act with the unwilling victim, but subcontracts the intimidation and violence to another man, the pimp. He makes the money, with legalization of this issue, the prostitutes will.

The legalization would also take care of all the ladies out there that are underage. 70 to 80% of those involved in the Canadian sex industry began as children and of 1,500 people in the sex industry in Montreal, one third are women and children in street prostitution. Of 25 prostitutes known to be on the streets of Sudbury, half are under 15 years old and some are as young as 11(Kane). This is obviously a problem, and defiantly needs to be stopped. With the legalization of prostitution, this can happen.

Also, it will provide a place for them to legally and safely do what they need and sometimes want to do. Many women are arrested for their first time because of prostitution. When they do get out of jail this record could affect all possible future employment opportunities. With the legalization, it would allow these women to remove themselves from this world and find alternative employment opportunities if they wanted to. Hopefully, the government can repeal the laws criminalizing prostitution. Rather than the regulated brothels of Nevada, we can instead favor the Australian decriminalization model, which allows sex workers to go into business for themselves.

On a scale of the pain or pleasure human beings can inflict on each other, if murder, rape, and torture are the worst, certainly giving another person an orgasm must be among the best. I cannot fathom how one could think that making another human being feel good for a fee could be degrading or demeaning unless it is degrading to make other people feel good. (Almodovar)

Currently mostly everywhere in Canada, our legal system penalizes prostitutes and their customers for what they do. Money is spent on the police�s efforts to catch prostitutes and their customers. When they are caught, it costs more money to bring these people to court, and sometimes imprison them. The prostitutes and their customers pay their fines and are back to the streets. Catch and release may work for recreational fishing but it is not stopping prostitution.

With the legalization of prostitution, there will also be regulated health check ups. This is because it is of very high importance that the health of the prostitutes and the health of the public stay well. The money that the prostitute makes will then be used to pay for these checkups. Yes, condom usage will be mandatory, even for oral sex, by law.

85% of prostitutes are raped by pimps. 83% of prostitutes are victims of assault with a weapon. 75% of women in escort prostitution had attempted suicide. Prostituted women comprised 15% of all completed suicides reported by hospitals (Farley). These are all horrible statistics, and they show just how much prostitutes need help. With the legalization of prostitution the government can make sure that this does not happen. The pimps will be eliminated, and the customers who abuse their privileges with the women will be tracked down. The government could have a system set up that keeps track of the customers, and the ladies they spend time with. If they notice a customer is getting abusive, they can crack down on him, and stop the abuse. If the punishment is sever enough, this will set precedent for others and deter them from abusing the ladies.

Like entering any other profession, becoming a prostitute is a choice. Exercising free choice of professions is certainly guaranteed to us by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We may not treat "sex workers" (as some prostitutes prefer to be called) like royalty, but sexual professionals are entitled to the respect, protection against violence, and freedom to make a living anyone else has.

Women in prostitution are purchased for their appearance, including skin color and characteristics based on ethnic stereotyping. Unfortunately, this will be a problem that cannot be changed. Just like exotic dancers, they are chosen on their customers enjoy. There is no way of changing this.

Many believe that prostitution is sexual harassment, rape, battering, verbal abuse, domestic violence, a racist practice, a violation of human rights, a product of childhood sexual abuse, a consequence of male domination of women and a means of maintaining male domination of women. This is not true. With the legalization of prostitution it will be the woman�s choice weather or not she chooses to become a prostitute. A legitimate occupation is by no means a violation of human rights.

Morality is the belief of the person. I don't consider it immoral. Everyone who works "sells" one or more parts of his or her body. Athletes, actors, actresses, and construction workers "sell" their body. The body is what is needed to engage in physical work. It would be difficult to engage in any profession without the use and therefore "sale" of one's body.

Perhaps because the genitalia are involved, people object to prostitution. In a free country people should be able to engage in behavior that others find immoral or objectionable as long as no force or fraud is involved. As an adult I feel confident that I can make my own moral judgments. For me it is not immoral to make other people feel good in a sexual way and receive payment for providing the service. (McWilliams 3)

What is it that makes a prostitute different from other professionals? Almost everyone �sells� their skills. Teachers get paid for teaching; doctors get paid for their skills with patients.

It is okay to pay for a meal at a restaurant, though there is nothing more intimate than the food you put inside yourself. We do not expect medical doctors to work for free, though they may probe and poke you everywhere and even cut you up. So why do we as a society fear the intimacy of sex? I say that the government should pass a law that it is okay for lawyers to give their services for free, but it is a felony for them to get paid for practicing law

The ladies who are involved in this career may choose to stay in this, or leave. If prostitution is regulated by the government then there may be a support system set up for the prostitutes. This may act as guidance for the prostitutes or a �half-way� home so-to-say. Of course, the cost for running these programs would be coming directly from the prostitute�s pay-checks. Why should your tax dollars be spent helping the human race better itself?

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Work Cited

Almodovar, Norma Jean. Cop to Call Girl. California: Simon & Schuster May 1, 1993

Chung, Andrew. �Nights at the Waverley�. Toronto Star Toronto: Torstar, Nov. 20, 2004

Farley, Melissa. �Prostitution Research� 2000

Kane, June. Sold for Sex. Tronto: Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998

Liberator, Mark. �Legalized Prostitution�. December 3rd, 2003

MacInnes, Ross A. Children in the Game. Calgary: Street Teams 1998

McWilliams, Peter. Ain�t Nobody�s Business if you Do. California: Prelude Press 1998

[edit on 9-12-2004 by MacKiller]

Ah the worlds oldest profession, If we look at where it is legal in the US Nevada it does seem that regulation does get rid of the worst aspects of it the assaults,STDs,rapes,robberies the Pimps. It is much safer for everyone in a place like Nevada. New Zealand recently decriminalised in the whole country if I remember correctly not sure how its working out there.

Germany and the Netherlands also have legalised some brothels. But much like the US only in some places this makes many women work outside the system as there is more money to be made with no taxes even with the added risk. I think only 12% of the women in Germany work in the system. So im not really sure if it better to have it legal everywhere compared to just some select places. But one thing is for sure...Prostitution has been around since the start of history with no signs of going away. As long as there is a demand for sex there will be market for it legal or illegal.

I would say that in those places there are now 12% more women safe in that profession now.

Thats a good start.

Mackiller, you would make a very good debater. I can buy into your arguement, but the problem is that you are arguing for a non-winnable side.

The moral issue is the thing here. Legalizing prostitution is the same as legalizing murder in the eyes of many foreign countries. Regardless of whether you care of not in what the world thinks about you, the people who are in power do care.

So this is never going to happen.

Surf

I was under the impression that in Canada, prostitution is not illegal. My understanding is that it is solicitation (hanging out on the corner), operating a bawdy house, and pimping that get you arrested. As far as I know, it is perfectly legal in Canada to put an ad in the paper (not solicitaion, because they come to you), and then meet at an offsite location to conduct 'business'.

Please note: This is not personal, first-hand experience with these laws

Originally posted by Duzey
I was under the impression that in Canada, prostitution is not illegal. My understanding is that it is solicitation (hanging out on the corner), operating a bawdy house, and pimping that get you arrested. As far as I know, it is perfectly legal in Canada to put an ad in the paper (not solicitaion, because they come to you), and then meet at an offsite location to conduct 'business'.

Please note: This is not personal, first-hand experience with these laws

So advertised prostitution is legal in Canada?

I mean adverstised 'business'.

Surf

In Australian newspapers prostitution is advertised as 'Erotic Massages call me now' Paying for sex is legal. As I see it pimps are there for protection, or to give the girls drugs becasue they are addicted and maybe somtimes forced.

I don't know about other countries, but adverts of that type are fairly common here in any major newspaper. They are usually run under the escort services or adult personal headings. Usually a come-on like, Hot blonde waiting for you, and then a name and number. All perfectly legal.

I agree that prostitution needs legalization and monitoring by the government. Even in states where it is illegal, girls can just call themselves escorts and do it anyway. There is always a way around it, but legalization helps earn government money through taxation as well as monitoring the health of these prostitutes.

Just a little touch for the holiday season.



[edit on 12/16/2004 by infinite8]

I don't know many girls who would accept to legal prostitution. I doubt a high number wanted to be a prostitute when they grew up. I think it is more of a situtation thing.

If you want to legalize something you have to make it appear good in the minds of the public, or you say it is for national security.

I doubt we will ever achieve the first part, we have much higher chance with the second one.

So, Mac trying connecting it to the OBL or Saddam.

Surf

Prostitution is the only way women can truly be equal. They will no longer be protected by the realms of a quickly fading Judeo-Christian ethic. Religion should not be used for means of gender preservation.

for the Pimp cane.

Originally posted by Simulacra
Prostitution is the only way women can truly be equal. They will no longer be protected by the realms of a quickly fading Judeo-Christian ethic. Religion should not be used for means of gender preservation.

for the Pimp cane.

Hmmm. Would have agreed with you last week - BUT - heard here at ats that women in Germany are being forced to work as legal prostitutes under 'Welfare to Work" schemes.


Now it just looks like more legal shenanigans to me...



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