Primer: Legalizing sex work

The discussion of illegal industry has often centered around its evident dangers to society. For example, dangerous drugs are illegal because of the obvious health risks and externalities associated with drug use. Nevertheless, legalizing illegal industry would open the door to regulation that could potentially lead to better health outcomes through regulation and help the government understand industry structure to better stymie negative spillovers. Stigmas and cultural values often dictate the terms of these trade-offs. With this in mind, this week Political Union is debating the following resolution: all sex work should be legalized nationwide. 

The pro argument must ground its argument in the fact that sex work has occurred for most of civilized history, and there’s no reason to think it will stop. Under the assumption that it cannot be fully eradicated, the focus should then be on protecting sex workers from harm. Under current law, sex workers are more vulnerable to violence and less likely to report violence. They have less access to health care, leading to worse outcomes and heightened risks for disease. Further, the banning of sex work marginalizes already vulnerable groups like immigrants and transgender people. Consensual sex is legal, so if two people come together in a safe way, then sex work should be legal, and the rights of the industry’s workers should be strengthened. 

The con argument lies more in cultural values. Prostitution is a harmful, degrading practice, and a society that lends its support to it has backwards attitudes towards sex and consent. Sex work is not a glamorous or desirable occupation, and it increases risk of violence and harm, so the government should try to eradicate it. If paying for sex is normalized, then men will increasingly see women as commodities that can be bought and sold. Prostitution is also tied to human trafficking, so fostering demand through legalization would only increase the number of women forced into the occupation. Lastly, greater access to health care won’t solve the pernicious effects of sex work: the way to best protect female health is by stopping prostitution, not by helping them find out they are sick because of prostitution. 

Come join our debate this Monday at Scott Hall 201 at 7pm!

"lingerie" by our.city.lights is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Previous
Previous

Primer: Iran’s nuclear threat

Next
Next

Primer: Legal Immigration Pathways