Why Is Prostitution Illegal?

Why Is Prostitution Illegal?

Eliot Spitzer’s latest scandal makes us ask ourselves ethics related questions about what is right or what is wrong, such as: why is prostitution illegal? One thing is certain, being a hypocrite and getting caught doing what you have condemned is unacceptable. However this scandal unveiled social issues that have been neglected through out our history.

In the article “Why Is Prostitution Illegal?” Emily Bazelon explores the question inside and out. She sees it from every different point of view such as the ones who imposed the laws against prostitution and those who fight to legalize it.

The ethical answer from my point of view is that prostitution is conceived as an immoral act, because the medium of service is the naked human body used to deliver pleasure to a determined client. This is considered by the general public to be an exploitative and demeaning service, due to the fact that almost in every culture around the globe the body is considered to be sacred.

In reality this conservative thinking makes the situation worse. By pushing laws that ban prostitution, legislators are creating bad working and living conditions for sex workers that enter the industry voluntarily. In other words those who pushed laws against prostitutions are only basing their judgment on a cultural idea of what is right or wrong. They do not take into account what really matters, the safety and well being of every citizen.

In the article one of the first arguments is that legalizing prostitution expands it. This argument is in a way invalid since legalization will only take out a barrier to entry in the market. This act will leave supply and the demand free of any boundaries to find the equilibrium point where the number of people that are willing to provide the service is equal to the number of people who want to use it. This will also encourage regulation for