Prostitution- Should it be Legal?

Prostitution has been present in the United States for a very very long time. Many members of society view it as a problem, myself included. However, as morally wrong as it is and as much as the majority of people want it to be completely eliminated from the country, it is not going away any time soon. It is currently illegal in every state except Nevada, and there have been many cases of pimps abusing their women and crimes affiliated with prostitution in every state. Prostitution is something that needs to be looked at with a realistic point of view.

The government needs to understand that there is no way to shut down a market with very willing buyers and sellers. Furthermore, prostitution being illegal violates an individual's basic rights. Prostitution is the voluntary sale of a labor service. As long as the transaction is voluntary, government interference is unconstitutional.

These are all reasons why I believe the time has come to legalize prostitution. Don't misunderstand what I am proposing, I am not in agreement with prostitution, and if there was a way to completely eradicate it I would be in favor of that. However, it is probable that the legalization of prostitution would reduce affiliated crime and abuse. Victims of these crimes would be much more likely to report the criminals if it were legal. In addition, way too much money is spent trying to crack down on illegal transactions involving prostitution. Statistics show that the city of Los Angeles alone spends nearly 100 million dollars annually dealing with prostitution. This money should be put towards protecting citizens from more serious and life-threatening crimes.

Anti-prostitution laws make criminals feel more comfortable committing crimes against prostitutes. These laws also promote street prostitution, which statistics show is by far the most dangerous type of prostitution, as there are a lot more drugs involved, as well as pimps trying to take advantage of them. The legalization of prostitution would obviously negate these anti-prostitution laws. The main reasons for my being in favor of the legalization of prostitution is that it would reduce crime, prostitutes would be abused a lot less, and the crimes that did take take place would be much more likely to be reported. The legalization of prostitution is what society needs.