Thesis Proposal

I will be writing about the legalization of sex work – specifically prostitution. My statement will be that consensual prostitution should be legalized and regulated to make it safer for the workers. I will be including information about the risks that sex workers face in their jobs such as arrest, STI risks, and violence. For the rebuttal, I will explore reasons why some think sex work should be illegal and discuss how these could be solved.

 

Outline

  1. Introduction Paragraph.
    1. This paragraph can provide an overview of information, briefly mentioning reasons why prostitution is illegal and some of the risks sex workers face.
    2. The thesis statement will be that consensual prostitution should be legalized and regulated by the government to make it safer for both the workers and their clients.
  2. Reasons and Evidence
    1. Reason 1: Sex workers are at a high risk of contracting STIs and other sex-related ailments. (Cirruzzo)
      1. Obviously, due to the frequent sexual activity with many partners, sex workers are at a high risk of STIs, especially if they are not using any type of condoms. This also puts the clients at risk. Sex workers may also experience genital trauma due to frequent sexual activity.
      2. On top of this risk, sex workers may not have access to the same healthcare, medications, treatments, etc., as some of their clients may have.
  • Some diseases can be transferred through more than just sex. Sharing drug-injection needles and syringes can also put people at risk for HIV, hepatitis b and c, and syphilis. Those risks are on top of the usual drug risks such as impaired judgement. Working on the street, sex workers are at a particularly high risk for drug use.
  1. If sex work were to be legalized, prostitutes would not have to worry about being arrested simply for carrying condoms (Cirruzzo).
  1. Reason 2: Sex workers are at an exceptional risk for violence. (Cirruzzo).
    1. Street sex workers face violence such as robbery/mugging, sexual abuse, and even murder.
    2. Information about sexual abuse faced by sex workers.
  • Considering the fact that certain types of sex work is illegal, prostitutes face the risk of being arrested. If arrested, they could face any risks that accompany jail/prison.
  1. Reason 3: Not only will legalization and regulation help sex workers do their jobs legally and safely, but these amendments would also help protect clientele.
    1. Effects on clients
    2. The legalization of sex work could largely improve public health (Cirruzzo).
  • Counter Arguments and Responses
    1. Reasons prostitution is illegal:
      1. One of the reasons people believe prostitution should be illegal is that the legalization of such things would increase the amount of human trafficking in the country (Bazelon). Some argue that the legalization of prostitution benefits only pimps and keeps women down (Bindel).
      2. Historically, France made prostitution illegal after the Nazis took control of many brothels to use for themselves, and afterwards, many people abused the prostitutes for being Nazi conspirators (Padilla). Also during World War II, the Japanese seized control of brothels for their military. After all of this, the US thought it would be in the best interest for the prostitutes to make brothels illegal and took this to the UN (“Commercial Sex: It’s Time for Public Health to Admit: ‘It’s Complicated.’”).
    2. Rebuttal
      1. Although prostitution is illegal in the US, this does not prevent people from participating in the practice either as prostitutes or patrons.
      2. The legalization of prostitution in other countries such as New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada has simply made the practice safer, reducing STIs, violence, and stigma (“Commercial Sex: It’s Time for Public Health to Admit: ‘It’s Complicated.’”).
    3. Conclusion
      1. Prostitution should be legalized and regulated. This will make sex work safer for both workers and clients and be a good first step to destigmatize.

 

Works Cited

Bazelon, Emily. “Why Is Prostitution Illegal?” Slate Magazine, 11 Mar. 2008, slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/03/why-is-prostitution-illegal.html.

Sexual Violence Against Sex Workers, mcasa.org/assets/files/Sexual-Violence-and-Sex-Workers1.pdf.

Cirruzzo, Chelsea. “The Case for Decriminalizing Sex Work.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 11 Jan. 2021, www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-01-11/calls-mount-to-decriminalize-sex-work-in-the-interest-of-public-health.

Padilla, Lissette. “The Surprising Reason Why Prostitution Is Illegal.” Seeker, 12 Aug. 2015, www.seeker.com/the-surprising-reason-why-prostitution-is-illegal-1501525583.html.

“Commercial Sex: It’s Time for Public Health to Admit: ‘It’s Complicated’” © 2021 Boston University, 21 Nov. 2017, www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2017/commercial-sex-its-time-for-public-health-to-admit-its-complicated.

Bindel, Julie. “Why Prostitution Should Never Be Legalised.” The Guardian, 27 Nov. 2017, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/11/prostitution-legalised-sex-trade-pimps-women.