Increases sexual violence... Fosters antisocial behavior… Increases chance of HIV... Should ANYTHING with such a description be legal? These are just a few examples of how prostitution being legal is damaging society. Rather than making/using sexuality to show intense love for one another, it’s now acceptable to use sex to satisfy temporary desires for a small fee. With more negative effects than listed above, it’s obvious that prostitution should be made illegal.

Prostitution has and still is one of the most controversial business industries. Women at the age of 18 can use their bodies in sexually explicit ways to achieve income. That’s still in the developmental stages of the brain! And to be doing such consequential things when one hasn’t even figured out who they are; That’s going to affect their everything. Desensitization, acceptance of heinous acts, and the downplay of sexuality, just to name a few. These brothels consequently affect the way people’s brains start to see sexuality, and the once sacred thing is turned casual.

Also, when and where prostitution is legal, violence and sexual abuse statistics have risen. These people get to do things however they want when they are paying for it, and these expectancies go straight from one bedroom to another. They have COMPLETE control. Sex is not meant to be like that. Period. No matter what your religion or beliefs, it’s a fact that all people want to have a say on how they approach and incorporate sexuality. It takes two to tango, right? In prostitution, as long as your wallet is big enough, you can have whatever you want. And then when you don’t have such complete dominance in bed with someone who you actually have a relationship with, things seem to go awry. But is that really so unforeseen?

Yes, some statistics show that where prostitution is legal that violence in relationships go down, or rape percentages go down. But these stats are misleading. Rape percentages go down because men can simply pay a little money to get the exact same thing. Violence in relationships go down because men will act how they want to in a brothel, and as long as the ladies get payed, they’re not complaining. Also, the men have no prior relationship with the prostitute, so they have no reason to be angry when they visit a brothel, which is just ANOTHER bad habit that’s formed.

Second of all, it affects society. It makes it socially acceptable, as previously stated. Socially speaking, it creates sexual addictions, anti-social behavior, and desensitization. Speaking for a large portion of the U.S., it is not usually acceptable to sell your physical and mental body for sexual stimulation and income. And not only is such behavior detrimental to the prostitute, but the customer as well. The prostitute is making it a habit to sell their body, and the customer is making a habit of using a prostitute for a quick fill. Why have relationships where you must share love and trust and vulnerability when you can have a one night stand with a stranger, and never have to speak of it again? It’s a question that people are beginning to ask themselves.

And physically speaking, the damages can be even worse! When people don’t use proper protection for, whatever reason, and find themselves with symptoms of AIDS/HIV 6 weeks later. That’s because such symptoms don’t hit you until that duration of time. So while someone’s on cloud nine feeling like he just dodged a bullet, he hasn’t. What he has done is put his, and many others’ lives at risk. And just how many other prostitutes had that man slept with in those 6 weeks? How many times is he going to visit the doctor for treatment? Was that one night of satisfaction really worth the pain? The finances? YOUR LIFE?