Prostitution - Coursework Example

Prostitution There is no clear timeline as to when and how Military Prostitution actually came into being. According to research done by Katherine H.S. Moon: In some ways, military prostitution (prostitution catering to, and sometimes organized by, the military) has been so commonplace that people rarely stop to think about how and why it is created, sustained, and incorporated into military life and warfare. Academic interest and analysis of this issue gained momentum only in the last twenty years and still remains scant and sporadic.

Military Prostitution and the U.S. Military in Asia, p. 1) : However, there does seem to be some reference as to when the U.S. government, through the representation of the commanding officers overseas and locally, decided to try and regulate or control the industry for the welfare of their soldiers. This was during the Korean war, when a tremendously high rate of sexually transmitted diseases began to affect the active soldier duty roster. Back home, prostitution is considered illegal in all U.S. states except Nevada.

The reason being that Nevada has a historical connection to prostitution dating all the way back to the 18th century. According to Karah Lucas Nevada limits prostitution to legally registered brothels and towns with populations of less than 400,000 thus leaving Clark and Washoe counties out of the program (Legal Prostitution Has A Special Presence in Nevada, p. 1). The legalized prostitution program of Nevada has had a positive effect on the trade which our government should actually take notice of.

Since the trade is overseen by the state, there are actually rules and regulations that insure the protection of the women in the trade, the men who partake of the benefits of the trade, and the state to whom the brothels pay business taxes to. According to Paul Armetano (The Case For Legalized Prostitution, p.1) , sexually transmitted diseases are actually controlled from spreading because of the weekly mandated testing for the prostitutes. For some strange reason, the brothels also take pride in having healthy women on their staff because it shows the quality of their “business”.

Even though there are actual benefits to be had from the legalization of prostitution, such as the control of sexually transmitted diseases, protection of the sex worker, standardization of the work practice, and more importantly, additional income for the city or state, there are still those conservatives who fail to see these reasons. They choose to remain in their out-dated and out-moded world where prostitution is something that destroys lives due to the degradation and objectification of women.

For those in the military service, the legalized prostitution business actually helps insure that they remain healthy and able to serve our country at a moments notice. It reduces the possibility of abandoned children, all of whom resulted from the unregulated practice of prostitution. Those opposed to the legalization of prostitution argue that the decriminalization or legalization of prostitution will actually do more harm than good because, according to Janice G. Raymond (10 Reasons For Not Legalizing Prostitution, p. 1) :Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution is a gift to pimps, traffickers and the sex industry.

Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution and the sex industry promotes sex trafficking. Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution does not control the sex industry. It expands it. Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution increases clandestine, hidden, illegal and street prostitution. Legalization of prostitution and decriminalization of the sex industry increases child prostitution. Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution does not protect the women in prostitution. Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution increases the demand for prostitution.

It boosts the motivation of men to buy women for sex in a much wider and more permissible range of socially acceptable settings. Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution does not promote womens health. Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution does not enhance womens choice. Women in systems of prostitution do not want the sex industry legalized or decriminalized. Basically, Prostitution has always been known as the oldest profession to ever exist. It has been argued about, debated, and shunned by society for centuries.

However, there are legal basis and purposes for the regulation and legalization of the industry. As such, it will come into light not as a criminal act or a vessel for sexual disease transmission. With social acceptance will come the realization that there is nothing to fear about those who ply this trade. Instead, it is something that we should all be supporting since this is one type of trade that serves to instead, heighten the respect that men and women can have for each other as sexual partners and as human beings as well.

ReferencesArmetano, Paul. (1993). The Case For Legalized Prostitition. The Future Of Freedom Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.fff.org/freedom/1293e.aspGormley, Lois. (1998). Prostitution Pumps Millions Into Nevadas Economy. Nevada Outpost. Retrieved from http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost/community/archives/com.gormley.prostitute.htmlMoon, Katherine H.S. (2009). Military Prostitution and the U.S. Military in Asia. The Asia Pacific Journal. Retrieved from http://www.japanfocus.org/-Katharine_H_S_-Moon/3019.

Raymond, Janice G. (2003). 10 Reasons For Not Legalizing Prostitution. Prostitution Research and Education. Retrieved from http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/laws/000022.html