The Oldest Profession In The World

Is America ready for the oldest profession to be legalized? Of course I’m referring to prostitution. Technically, prostitution isn’t the oldest profession in history. Trades such as hunting, farming, fishing, and toolmaking date back to the first homo-sapiens, which is over 200,000 years ago. However, prostitution is referred to as the worlds oldest profession because it has been in every society since humans began to record history. There are many varying viewpoints in different societies when it comes to legalized prostitution. Laws are written and passed based on the moral code of a society. Most modern countries in the world have laws against murder, theft, rape, and other harsh crimes because those societies believe that they are wrong and abhorrent. However, the ink on the paper begins to smudge when you mentions things like drug use, polygamy, incest, etc. Some societies write laws against behaviors because they believe they are wrong, however, other societies allow these behaviors to occur because it is accepted by a majority of the population. You cannot legislate morality. What this means is that you cannot have a law passed that will prevent people from committing acts deemed by a society as abominable. You can only pass the law so that when people commit those acts they are punished accordingly. Why is drug use and sale decriminalized in Uruguay, but in Malaysia drug trafficking can be punishable by death. In the United States, many consider adultery to be wrong, but the act does not warrant legal execution. However, in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, and Iran women accused of committing adultery can still be stoned to death. Yes, in 2021 a woman can be stoned to death in those countries for committing adultery. Do you see how the laws of a country are written based on what is morally acceptable in society? Governments understand that without law there would be chaos, however, with unfavorable laws there may be rebellion and coup d’états.

Prostitution In The United States

Did you know that prostitution in the United States was unregulated until 1910? I’m sure you remember the old western movies that depicted what life was like in the 1800’s. Remember the old towns with the one Sheriff who was also the Mayor? Those old dirt towns had saloons and in many of those saloons were rooms available for men who wanted to not only stay the night, but also have prostitute who worked at the saloon. However, the Mann Act of 1910 made it illegal to engage in any commerce transport of any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose. This effectively eliminated prostitution and other states wrote laws that further outlawed the practice. When it comes to prostitution in the United States, many people would consider the action of sex work reprehensible. The United States is still considered to be a Judeo-Christian nation, therefore, sex work is condemned and classified as illegal in all states, but Nevada. And even in Nevada it’s only allowed in certain counties at specific establishments. So, let’s dive into the question of whether the United States is ready for legalized prostitution. Recently, Aba and Preach had an interview with Kevin Samuels. The interview is on YouTube and is titled AnP with Kevin Samuels | Is there a problem with modern women & men? | AnP #1. Preach had to leave earlier, but Aba and Kevin stayed on to continue the conversation. As things progressed, Kevin talked about his time working in corporate America and how he saw many high level executives interact frequently with escorts. Kevin then stated that he favors sex work for a number of reasons that it benefits the hard working man. Aba then concurred with him and expressed that he too does not demonize sex work and can see its benefits. You can refer to the 1:42:00 time mark for Kevin and Aba’s comments on sex work. Soon after they moved on to another topic, however, I find it pertinent today to discuss sex work in the United States and if it should be legalized. We know that sex work still occurs everyday in the United States. Many people still get arrested in counties across the United States for procuring sex from prostitutes. The TV show COPS used to run specials on busting “Johns.” A John is the named used for a man who procures sex from a sex worker. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was accused of soliciting prostitution from a Massage parlor in Florida, although the charges were recently dropped. Johns are oftentimes put in newspapers and shown on the local news as a form of shame and to discourage others from attempting to solicit sex. However, the women are rarely charged and their faces are usually hidden to protect their identity. The John is viewed as the pervert and creep and the woman is viewed as the victim, even though both consented to the transaction. This is a prime example of trying to legislate behavior and morality, which is impossible.

Prostitution: Morality Vs Legality

Many believe that prostitution is wrong and therefore those who participate in it should be punished. Some of those who believe that it is wrong due so from a moral perspective. They condemn the behavior and deem it to be immoral. However, do they also believe that premarital sex is wrong? If yes then why do they engage in it with their boyfriend or girlfriend? If no, then isn’t that considered being hypocritical? Why is premarital sex okay for the moral person, but prostitution is not? I would like to dive into the behavior itself. Not what comes along with it, just the behavior. You have a man of legal age and a woman of legal age. The woman may approach the man, or the man may approach the woman. There is a negotiation for what is to be exchanged. There is an agreement that is understood and the act commences. Once the act is over the payment is completed and the two parties go their separate ways. This is prostitution in a nutshell. Escort services are slightly different because an escort has the duty of accompanying you, or escorting, usually to an event and then if sex is included there is often an extra charge associated with the service. However, escorts are not necessarily prostitutes. The process of prostitution is procuring the service, the service being fulfilled, paying for the service, and moving on. Let’s compare it to an oil change. Your car needs an oil change and you drive to an auto shop. You procure the service, the service is fulfilled, you pay for the service and then you drive on. It’s a very simple process, yet an oil change won’t land you in jail with a mark on your record. Dealing with the morality of prostitution is a battle that cannot be won in the United States and it’s a battle that I personally chose not to fight. When I write articles, I always refer to legality because morality is based on the personal opinion of people. And who determines who has the correct opinion? One person thinks prostitution is wrong, but another thinks prostitution is acceptable. Who is correct? Legally, the person who believes prostitution is wrong is correct, but morally it’s a complete toss up. Either person can make arguments for, or against, and no one can say who is right and wrong.  Therefore, I just stick to what the law says.

Sex Work Examined On A Global Level

If the laws were to be changed and prostitution became legal in the United States here is what would happen….nothing. Yep, that’s what would happen. The world would not stop spinning, the United States would not collapse, and women would not all become prostitutes. We know this because we have case studies of what happened in other countries where prostitution became legalized. In over 100 countries some form of prostitution is legal. Whether it be securing it on the street, or going into a brothel, it is legal. And those countries have not shut down, nor are all of the women sex workers. It’s just like any other service offered. One of the main objections that you will here by those opposed to prostitution is that it leads children being sold into the sex trade. And there is data that supports many young women are either sold into sex work, or forced into sex work as teenagers, which is completely devastating and is obviously wrong. Minors cannot legally consent to sex work. This is why they cannot get credit cards, or take out loans, or drink alcohol because of their inability to legally consent. However, the women in the sex industry in those countries have to be of a legal consenting age. No country will tolerate a minor participating in the sex industry. Therefore, the argument that prostitution will lead to underage girls being forced into sex work is false because no country will legally tolerate that. All of the underage sex trafficking that occurs is illegal and also happens in countries that ban prostitution. Therefore, getting rid of prostitution will not eliminate underage sex work, even though it is illegal. The next argument is that women who participate in the sex field have pimps and they are mistreated and abused. Again, yes this does happen, however, assault is illegal. There are many laws procedures in the United States designed to protect women against abusive men. Such as getting restraining orders, protective custody, filing police reports, etc. Women do not have to be around men who abuse them. However, the reason many prostitutes have abusive pimps is because prostitution is illegal and women need some form of protection in the field. Oftentimes, a prostitute will not want to go to the police to file a report about physical abuse from a pimp because they will then incriminate themselves. They will have to explain what they do and why they are dealing with a pimp in the first place. Legalized prostitution means that the abused sex workers can go to the police and file reports on their abusers without worrying about being prosecuted by the law for their profession. They won’t need a pimp for protection against a John because they know that they can easily call the police if a situation arises and a John does not want to pay, or a John gets physical with her. Prostitutes today are afraid to do this because of the aforementioned reasons.

Why Prostitution Is Illegal In The United States

The reason I believe that prostitution is illegal in the United States is because there is no way to tax it as of yet. If states legalized the advertising and selling of prostitution then there would be no way for the government to collect a tax on the sales because it’s a very personal transaction. In countries like Amsterdam brothels are taxed, which allows the government to get a cut of the revenue. However, if there is just dealing on the streets and in back alleys and cash is being exchanged then how can the state and local governments collect tax? They can’t and that is why it remains illegal in my opinion. In order for state governments to collect tax on a prostitute’s transactions they would need designated establishments, or apps that reported their income. For example, if you are selling t-shirts online you would normally use Square, PayPal, or Stripe to facilitate the transaction. If you have a t-shirt store then you would use a Point of Sale (POS) to facilitate the transaction. If a woman is a prostitute and wants to sell herself online in order for the government to collect taxes on her income she would have to record every transaction and report it, which will never happen. Even in the porn industry porn hosting sites and companies have to report their gross sales to the local and state government, therefore, it can be taxed accordingly. This is why porn remains legal in the United States and prostitution does not. It cannot be taxed and therefore, it is illegal. The same was the case with weed. There was a time when weed was considered as bad a drug as heroin, however, as time moved on people saw that marijuana did not have anywhere close to the damaging effects as heroin and weed use became legal in many states, which allowed dispensaries to open. Once dispensaries opened this allowed state and local governments to receive a sales tax on the sale of weed and more states followed suit. It had nothing to do with the morality of weed use and everything to do with the monetization of it.

Who Does Legal Prostitution Really Hurt?

If prostitution became legal and taxable in the United States it would only have adverse effects on the women who use men for money and attention without having to give up anything in return. Such as Instagram models, women on Only fans, manipulative women, porn actresses, etc. Men would simply transfer their money from those women to the women who are actually offering what they want, which is sex. Why would a man pay to see a woman on only fans, or in the strip club, when they can pay a sex worker for sex at a brothel, or hotel? Why would a man choose to take a woman on an expensive date with the hopes of getting sex at the end of the night when they can pay a sex worker for guaranteed sex? The sex industry would run like any other industry in a capitalist society. There would be ratings and reviews  and the best workers who offered the best services would rise to the top. Understand that sex work is going to happen regardless of whether or not it is legal, and regardless of your moral stance on the subject. There is nothing the United States can do to stop it from happening. The only thing they can do is determine the best way to legalize it that allows them to collect tax revenue. Such as what was done with weed use. Weed was always being used and the government couldn’t do anything to stop it from happening. Some state governments wised up and realized this. They then decided to decriminalize the use of weed and regulate the sale. Once they began to receive an increase in tax revenue the rest is history. The same can be done for prostitution. If it’s sale is regulated and its solicitation is decriminalized that means there will be no Johns to arrest and police officers can put their efforts into solving real crimes. The criminal justice system can free up space in the courts and the jail cells for actual criminals. And states can begin collecting tax revenue on these services. Consenting adults who cause no danger to the public should be able to engage in a transaction that is between them. A woman can freely give sex to a man, but if she charges a man for sex then it is a crime. Logically, this makes no sense and this is why many countries have legalized prostitution. Will the United States be next?