Prostitution (a Legislative Issue)
Prostitution exists in many forms, but in its usual and most basic form it consists of a man paying a woman to have sex with him. Prostitution has often been called “the world’s oldest profession”. However, things such as hunting, tool making and teaching must have come first, since these professions would have always been needed for human survival. In addition, what we currently think of as prostitution could not have really existed without some form of money or condoms. Nevertheless, prostitution has been around for a very long time and seems firmly rooted in our society.
At different times and places, prostitution has been either encouraged or condemned. For instance, many armies have hired prostitutes to keep their men happy while they were on military campaigns. On the other hand, many religions and individuals denounce any sexual activity done outside of marriage. Today, prostitution is legal in some locations and illegal in many other places. Even where it is legal, there are individuals and groups who believe that it is harmful to society and are working to eliminate it.
For the most part, attempts to eliminate prostitution have always failed. There are two basic roadblocks to these attempts. First, one of our most basic and strongest drives is the sex drive, which without it our species would have soon died out. Second, there always seem to be some individuals who cannot get enough sex or the right kind of sex from those they know or meet. Without an available and willing sex partner, some individuals feel that they must resort to paying for sex, which is better at the very least than them committing rape. This all leads to the reasonable conclusion that it may never be possible to eliminate all prostitution.
Since it seems most likely that prostitution will continue to be around for a long time, we should look at what we can do to reduce any harm that might come from it. Prostitution has often been called a victimless crime. Theoretically, this is true whenever those involved are all honest and healthy consenting adults. The biggest problem and harm may come when one of the parties involved has a contagious disease. Not only are the individuals involved at risk, but so is everyone else with whom they will later come in contact.
There are also many other dangers to both prostitutes and their clients. Having sex in back alleys and fleabag hotels can also pose a risk of disease. There is also the risk of being a victim of crime, especially when they are on the street. For instance, both prostitutes and clients could be robbed or murdered. In addition, they might not want to report the crime, since they would probably need to report what they were doing at the time. Pimps can also take advantage of prostitutes, with minors and illegal aliens being especially vulnerable to being victimized.
Although we may not be able to make prostitution completely safe, we may be able to eliminate or to reduce most of the problems. The first thing to do is to license prostitutes and require that they get regular health checkups. This will help to protect clients. The next thing would be to require their places of business to have operating permits. This will help to protect both clients and prostitutes. In addition, clients would be required to have valid up to date health certificates to be served. This will help to protect prostitutes.
To get a license to be a prostitute, a person would need to be of legal age and to get a complete medical examination. Prostitutes would be required to get regular medical checkups like what is now required of doctors and nurses. If a prostitute fails a medical exam, their license would be restricted to serving only those individuals who already have the same disease or diseases. These licenses should be displayed where clients can see them.
Places of business, like sex dens or brothels, would need to have an operating permit, and they would need to be safe and clean. Regular inspections would be required to renew these permits. Of course, these places of business could be just a room in a prostitute’s home or an entire building that houses numerous prostitutes. These permits should be displayed where clients can see them.
Clients would need to have a valid up to date health certificate to visit a prostitute. If a client has any infectious disease, they would be restricted to seeing prostitutes with the same disease. It is not only important for clients to be healthy to protect the prostitutes, but also to protect all the prostitutes’ other clients. These certificates should be presented before any service is rendered. Prostitutes should also be required to refuse service to anyone who appears to be sick.
Prostitutes should also be bound by rules of confidentiality like those that exist for psychiatrists. They should not be allowed to discuss their sessions with clients. Client names should not be given out unless they are needed in some criminal or other legal investigation.
With legal prostitution, there should be far less reason for any illegal prostitution. With fewer clients, illegal prostitution could decline to a point where it might virtually disappear. With prostitutes off the streets, there would be less crime and we would not have to put up with them soliciting clients. Prostitutes would be safer and would not need the help of nor be victims of pimps. Clients would also be safer, since they would only be dealing with licensed professionals.
Of course, there may still be some individuals who are looking for something that could not be provided by legal prostitutes. For instance, they might be looking for minors. Since there would be very important and valid reasons for some things to remain illegal, the penalties for participating in these acts of illegal prostitution should be greatly increased.
Based on recent research, many individuals who frequent prostitutes seem to be under the delusion that the prostitute has feelings for them or truly enjoys having sex with them. The truth of the matter is that prostitutes do it for the money and are just pretending to enjoy it. If someone truly enjoyed a sexual relationship with someone then there would be no need to pay for it. In fact, if you take away the delusion, many individuals will stop going to prostitutes. Therefore, one way to keep the prostitution rate down would be to require a notice clearly posted at the establishment stating something to the effect that the prostitute is just play acting and no real relationship exists.
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