The act of sex and “consent” aside, before you think of it as a victimless crime, I’d suggest reading up on the actual prostitutes themselves. Why do these women (I say women because women make up an overwhelming portion of the sex trade, not that men can’t be prostitutes) turn to prostitution? I did a five minute search and found that most of them want to get out of it. Many are abused as children. Many become prostitutes as children. Others need quick money for their habits, and others have no choice. Many women are “imported” from other countries to do service here. In short, a lot of prostitutes have been forced into the trade, and a lot see it as no other choice. Of course, there are some prostitutes who do it because they like it, and I personally don’t see anything wrong with that.

 

In a perfect world, legalizing prostitution would actually fix all the problems prostitutes face — abuse from johns/pimps, rape, etc. But there are still issues even where prostitution is legalized. (I’ve read some disturbing stories from the girls who worked in the legal brothels in Nevada.)

 

The point isn’t just legalizing prostitution and saying, “There, it’s done, no more harm will ever be inflicted on prostitutes,” but to look at the underlying problem as to why prostitution is the only answer for women. There are victims in these situations, and to ignore those underlying implications of turning to and being a prostitute is just not a step in the right direction if we want to make it better for women.