Prostitution Existed before Government. It will Exist After as Well

When you close your eyes, the room does not disappear.

This may sound like a meaningless truism, but this bit of common sense is an important thing to acknowledge when dealing with prohibitionists. Prohibitionists are the kind of people who tell you that if a problem exists, we should make it illegal, and then it will go away. Problem solved.

In reality, of course, prohibited things can't be made to disappear. Only police states, like China, North Korea, and the Soviet Union were good at making "objectionable", "immoral", or "counter-revolutionary" things go away. But even with the iron grip of totalitarianism, prohibited items managed to slip through the bloody fingers of governments.

When the United States prohibited alcohol in the 1920s, the effect was a small decrease in alcohol use, a slight decrease in public drunkenness, and an enormous increase in violent, organized crime.

In addition, alcohol became much more dangerous. Homemade moonshine was sometimes dangerously toxic, killing and blinding many people. Hidden stills sometimes exploded, killing and maiming hundreds.

Prohibiting prostitution would have a similar effect. If prostitution was legal, more people would use prostitutes, since it would be easier and safer than trying to pick up an illegal streetwalker (who might secretly be a police officer).

Most women would not even consider prostitution, legal or illegal. Still, I guess there are some women who would consider becoming prostitutes if it was safe, legal and regulated, and especially if they didn't have to worry about pimps, who are usually violent and abusive, and demand a commission from their prostitutes. These women (and men) would choose prostitution. I would argue that when an adult freely chooses to do something, and which does not infringe on anyone else's rights, it is not for society, government, police, or any other group of well-intentioned busy-bodies to interfere.

And, of course, illegal prostitution is a source of income for organized crime, and is strongly correlated with abuse, coercion, and sex slavery.

If the government regulated brothels, mandating STD tests and monitoring workplace conditions, prostitutes would be treated not as criminals, but as respected members of the community, at least by government. Any poor treatment by brothel owners or patrons, any abuse, rape, or contract violation, could be reported to the police by prostitutes, without fear of being imprisoned.

Clearly, we can see that if our concern was the well-being of prostitutes, sex work would be made legal. If our concern is not the well-being of the women themselves, what is it?

Christian conservatives oppose prostitution because they believe it is immoral to by or sell sex. Interestingly, the Christian churches used to own and sponsor brothels. Feminists (well, some feminists) oppose it because it is "exploitative" of women. Frankly, I am inclined to agree with both of them. Having sex with a prostitute under the current laws is immoral and exploitative. Many of the woman are forced into prostitution by abusive pimps and human traffickers. They are being exploited, and it would be immoral to fund their exploiters.

Even more immoral, of course, would to let puritanical Christians or dogmatic feminists interfere with doing what is best for prostitutes, and human freedom in general: legalizing prostitution.