Research Paper on "Attitudes Towards Prostitution in the United States of America and the Netherlands"

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Prostitution: Attitudes in the U.S. with a look at the Netherlands

Order ID: Prostitution U.S./Netherlands

It doesn't even occur to me that prostitution should be illegal.

Young Woman, resident of Amsterdam (Weitzer 2011, p. 146)

Sexuality is something that is unique to each individual. It is something personal and something that is intrinsically linked with one's personal experiences and the mores by which they choose to live their life. In understanding this, it should be legal for individuals to be free to practice their sexuality in whatever ways they choose as long as they are not endangering someone else. Prostitution has been debated in nearly every single society and culture to differing degrees of acceptance or rejection (Valor-Segura & Moya 2011, p. 159) and it remains to be an intense topic in the United States. To legalize or not to legalize? Legalizing prostitution would not just benefit consenting adults who should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding their own sexual preferences, but it would have a lot of other benefits as well. Many individuals think that legalizing prostitution would reduce the crime rate, be beneficial to public health, increase tax revenue, and help individuals who are already engaging in prostitution get off the streets and practice in a safe environment (Prostitution ProCon.org 2011). Still, there are others who believe it should stay illegal because of its "immorality" -- however, this is not a good enough reason to ban people from doing what they would like with their bodies and when there has been mutual consent between individuals. Prostitution is oftentimes called "the wo

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rld's oldest profession," but the laws that prohibit prostitution are also the oldest examples of the government inserting itself where it doesn't belong. In any free society, laws that prohibit prostitution violate the fundamental rights and liberties of the people and it is especially discriminatory towards women as women make up the majority of prostitutes in the United States. In countries that have legalized prostitution -- like the Netherlands -- there is a completely different view on prostitution. Whereas in the United States most people tend to not see past the sex part, in the Netherlands, for example, prostitution is seen as a job -- a consensual act in which money is exchanged. Rights are not being violated and there isn't harm done to anyone. For this reason, prostitution should be legal -- plain and simple. We can learn a lot about this issue by looking at countries like the Netherlands (which we may consider but progressive, but in the Netherlands, prostitution has been legal since the 1400s) and how they are able to legalize, regulate and standardize prostitution. In understanding prostitution laws here in the United States, we have to understand that the issues surrounding it are not necessarily merely health issues or worries about crime and drugs. These elements to the equations feel more like scapegoats so that the real truth doesn't have to be told. The Untied States is a country that is governed by puritanical codes and the people who hold the powers to make decisions erroneously believe that they have the final word on what is moral and what is not. This is the issue at hand when prostitution is discussed in the United States. It is only by understanding that we all have our own set of morals and mores by which we hold ourselves accountable that we can allow others to live their lives the way they wish to do so.

Prostitution can be defined as an activity where a person gives sexual acts in exchange for money and there are a number of different lenses in which prostitution can be viewed (e.g. public health, law, personal preferences, ethics, morals, etc.). Though the United States keeps prostitution illegal in most states, there are over one million women who call it their job. The National Task Force on Prostitution maintains that over one million people in the United States have at one time worked as a prostitute -- or approximately 1% of women in America (Prostitution ProCon.org 2011). Of course, it can be inferred from those numbers that there are also people soliciting those services. In 1993, Armentano (1993) stated that sex with a prostitute was the third most common way that an American man contracted the AIDS virus. However, in an ironic twist, it is precisely the growing number of HIV / AIDS cases (as well as other types of STDs) which is used as an argument for legalizing prostitution in the United States (1993).

As health professionals, it is important that we do not allow misinformation to be perpetuated in our society. Many opponents of legalizing prostitution think if prostitution were legalized there would be an increase in sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. HIV / AIDS) (Prostitution ProCon.org). However, countries such as France, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, and even Israel that have legalized prostitution have fewer people living with HIV / AIDS as well as the number of deaths as a result of HIV / AIDS infection when compared to records in the United States (Reasons for Liberty 2011). Opponents also believe that the legalization of prostitution would lead to global human trafficking and an increase in rapes and homicides (2011). From the perspective of a health professional, it is does not make sense thinking that the legalization of prostitution would necessarily lead to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases because the licensing premises would encourage prostitutes access to health care in order for them to stay licensed. That is to say, there would be a major incentive for ensuring that prostitutes were in good health. Another point is that legalization would mean that sex workers could find a safe place to work as opposed to being forced to hide out in areas that are unsafe (streets, abandoned buildings, illegal premises). The bottom line is that prostitutes are forced to work outside of the law right now in the United States (except in Nevada and Rhode Island) and this has major health ramifications. In one study that was carried out in Australia in 1998, it was found that the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections was 80 times greater in 63 illegal street prostitutes than in 753 of their legal brothel counterparts (Prostitution ProCon.org 2011). This does not seem like a mere coincidence.

One of the mainstream attitudes in society that plague this topic is that prostitution is immoral -- plain and simple, case closed. It is interesting to note that there are few topics that garner such outrage. But what it is about prostitution that enrages people so? When people try to defend the legalization of prostitution, the sentence "It's my body -- not yours" tends to be uttered. The notion of a body not belonging to someone else but only to the person residing in that body is a notion that forms many discussions on issues from abortion to euthanasia to plastic surgery even (Phillips 2011, p. 725). Even children learn that they should not touch other's bodies or allow anyone to touch theirs because bodies belong to the individuals in which embody that body. If this is true then, if a body solely belongs to the individual as if it were a piece of property owned by them, then why shouldn't they be allowed to trade it for money if they like? What are the issues? Valor-Segura and Moya (2011) posit that it could be an issue that is influenced by ideological factors (p. 159). Some perceive prostitution as akin to slavery since sex trafficking is an oftentimes a major component of prostitution, which is why some believe that sex should not be allowed to be bought or sold (Weitzer 2010, p. 940). While certainly sex trafficking and the prostitution of minors is a problem that must be dealt with in a legal way, there are many industries that hold similar risks. The point is that we cannot just blame prostitution for everything wrong in the world without having any empirical data to back it up (which there is none).

There are some cases in the United States where prostitution has tried to be normalized. Weitzer (2010) notes that in 2008 residents in San Francisco voted on a ballot measure that police should stop enforcing the law against prostitution (p. 61). Even though the measure failed, it was supported by a good size of voters (42%), which shows that there are individuals out there who believe that people should have the right to do what they want with their bodies (whether it is buying or selling sex). Despite this ballot measure in San Francisco (a city where prostitution might be expected to be more acceptable due to the LGBT population), the rest of the country is not as open to legal prostitution. Even in cities (and towns) where stripping and pornography are considered normal parts of the culture, prostitution is still viewed as the worst thing a person could engage in. It seems ironic in this day… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Attitudes Towards Prostitution in the United States of America and the Netherlands" Assignment:

“

Here are the directions from my professor: (My additions have been added in CAPITALS)

The purpose of this assignment is to focus on a controversial topic related to human sexuality that interests you and to demonstrate your expert knowledge about this topic. You can get ideas for a topic from your reading of the textbook. Feel free to run your topic by me. Please make your topic as specific as possible. That means no papers that just deal with a topic in a general fashion such as *****"Prostitution*****" or *****"Homosexuality*****" or *****"Teenage Pregnancy*****". Find some aspect of the topic to write about - an *****"angle*****". For example, *****"Trafficking of under-aged sex workers in the US and Russia*****", *****"Violence against gay people in the US and Uganda*****" or *****"Sex Education in schools and its impact on teen pregnancy rates in the US and Argentina*****" .

Description:

Write a paper that addresses all of the following components:

1) Identify the problem/issue and explain why it interests you personally.

THIS TOPIC INTERESTS ME BECAUSE PEOPLE SHOULD BE FREE TO PRACTICE THEIR SEXUALITY IN WHICH EVER WAY THE CHOOSE AS LONG AS THEY ARE BOTH CONSENTING ADULTS NOT ATTEMPTING TO DEVICE ONE ANOTHER.

2) As a health professional (or whatever your future career is), why is it important for you to know about this problem/issue.

MY FUTURE CAREER IS A HEALTH EDUCATION TEACHER IN THE HIGH SCHOOL SETTING (GRADES 9-12, AGES 13-18) I FEEL THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC TO ME BECAUSE LEARNING DIFFERENT ATTITUDES FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD CAN ONLY HELP ME BETTER SERVE A POPULATION LIKE THE NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.

3) What are the causes of this problem/issue (include your own personal opinion as well).

MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT PEOPLE ARE HUNG UP MY RELIGIOUS MORALS, AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE AT ALL TIMES.

4) Describe mainstream attitudes in society about this issue/problem and state whether you think they are justified.

I DO NOT THINK THEY ARE JUSTIFIED HERE IN THE U.S.

5) Compare this problem/issue to another country (e.g., Access to contraception in the US versus in India, Discrimination against gay people in the US versus Uganda, Sex trafficking in the US versus Russia; Attitudes toward prostitution in the US and the Netherlands). Makes sure you choose a country and not a continent. For those of you who are confused between a country and continent, Kenya is a country and Africa is a continent. Sub-Saharan Africa is not a country. It is a region. Eastern Europe is not a country. It is a region.

6) Locate one organization in the US and one in this other country that deals with this specific issue/problem. Please make sure you choose an organization that deals with this specific issue and not an organization that has a broader mandate and deals with a host of issues. Describe the goals of each organization, types of services, problems and any other information you may think relevant. Give your opinion about how the two organizations compare against each other.

7) If someone asked if you could recommend a website, movie/documentary, and a book about this issue/problem, what would you tell them. Write a brief blurb about each one, identifying the name, author/source, what it deals with specifically and what things this person would find interesting about each. You must write about all three (website, movie/documentary and book). I expect more than a sentence or two copied off the internet. I expect you to have read the website and book and viewed the movie/documentary. The more detail you can give the better. It goes without saying that you cannot choose the textbook. You need to find another book to recommend. Make sure you choose a book, website and movie that is specifically tailored to your topic and not just about human sexuality in general.

8) Summarize the main ways this issue/problem is being addressed in the US and in the other country you have selected. Devote equal attention to both countries.

9) Identify one method/approach for addressing this issue/problem that you believe is good or has potential to be effective and explain why you prefer this method/approach over others. Here is where your grasp of the professional literature should be evident.

10) As a future health educator, state what contribution you can make in addressing this issue/problem on the local, national and international level. Be as specific as possible. No vague statements or generalizations. I expect you to put some thought into this and it should reflect your mastery of the issue/problem you wrote about.

I BELIEVE THAT I CAN EDUCATE PEOPLE ON THE ISSUES AND ALLOW THEM TO MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES ABOUT IT, SUCH AS IN THIS PAPER. (Please expand upon this idea!)

Instructions:

1) Your paper should be 13-15 pages long (excluding cover page and bibliography).

2) Your paper should be double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt font.

3) Use 1*****" margins. There are to be no big gaps between paragraphs. Please do not attempt to make the paper seem longer than it is through crafty formatting. Each paragraph should be joined to the next paragraph. Begin each paragraph by indenting it 0.3*****".

4) You can use a variety of resources to complete this paper, but you must use a minimum of ten professional journal articles (eg *****"New England Journal of Medicine*****", *****"Journal of School Health*****", *****"American Journal of Health Education*****". *****"Journal of Sex Research*****", *****"American Journal of Sexuality Education*****", *****"Archives of Sexual Behavior*****", *****"Journal of Homosexuality*****", etc). There are tons of professional journals related to health and sexuality. The more professional journal articles you use, the better! These articles must have been published within the last 5 years. Full-text articles can be accessed directly by going to the Lehman library website. Make sure that you find peer-reviewed journal articles through the Lehman College library website. I do not want to see articles found through a Google or Yahoo (or other similar search engines) or use of Wikipedia. Your articles need to come directly from professional scientific journals which are available to you on the college library website. For information about how to access full-text journal articles or how to contact a Lehman College librarian for help, please click on the *****"LIBRARY RESEARCH*****" button on the left.

5) Your paper needs to be written in a professional manner. That means you need to have a title for your paper on the first page followed by your name. Your paper should be formatted properly as instructed above. Make sure you number each page. Please make sure that you properly cite all your sources in your paper and provide a bibliography at the end. Make sure you follow the APA style. I do not want to see any quotes. You need to put everything in your own words and you need to cite all your sources. It is not acceptable to copy a sentence or paragraph and think it is okay as long as you cite the source. You need to put everything in your own words and cite your source. There will be a penalty of -5% for every sentence that is copied directly from the author. Again, everything needs to be written in your own words and there are to be no quotes.

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