Prostitution should not be legalized because it increases the development of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and cervical cancer. One reason that STDs will develop rapidly following the legalization of prostitution is because there would be an increase in sex workers. Dr. Marina Adshade argues that legalizing prostitution would increase the amount of sex workers, and numerous prostitutes would be driven to working on the street instead of indoor brothels (Adshade 110). In other words, the number of prostitutes with STDs working on the streets would increase, as would the number of men buying sex from street prostitute. The spread of STDs correlates with the legalization of prostitution because numerous acts of prostitution are done without condoms. Sex buyers will often exploit women and refuse to wear condoms. This results in buyers spreading diseases to their girlfriends and wives (Gerdes par. 3). Continuing the argument that prostitution increases the development of STDs, experts contend that there is a significant correlation between unprotected sex and the increase HIV. Janice Raymond, author of “Prostitution Should Not Be Legalized” published in the Journal of Trauma Practice, agrees when she writes, “In one study, 47 percent of women in U.S. prostitution stated that men expected sex without a condom; 73 percent reported that men offered to pay more for sex without a condom; and 45 percent of women said that men became abusive if they insisted that men use condoms” (Raymond par. 24). The evidence shows that the prostitution industry is already laden with unprotected sex, and legalizing prostitution will only increase the risks of STDs. This is further proven by statistics derived from countries that have legalized prostitution. For example, according to a study examined by Dr. Adshade herself, the amount of women with HIV increased by 91 percent just two years after prostitution was legalized in Australia (Adshade 110). While these arguments are valid, the opposition believes prostitution should be legalized. Opposition states that legalizing prostitution would decrease the development of STDs. First, adversaries believe legalizing prostitution would give prostitutes the opportunity for frequent health checks. Criminalizing prostitution makes prostitutes less likely to access doctor care for drug treatment; however, if prostitutes were provided with safe health care, diseases like HIV could be less likely to spread (Bass 107). Prostitutes could be protected by regular medical examinations which would protect women against STDs and infertility resulting from STDs (Liberator par.12). Prostitutes would not only be protected by medical examinations but also by protected sex.
In addition to this argument, STDs are usually combated with the use of protection. According to the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, “Most U.S. street prostitutes persuade their customers to use condoms, which reduce the risk of infection. In addition, most sex acts performed by street prostitutes are oral rather than vaginal or anal” (“Prostitution” par. 11). In other words, the majority of prostitutes use condoms to combat infection, and most prostitutes do not perform vaginal sexual acts at all. Finally, decriminalizing prostitution would decrease STDs because clients would be more likely to wear condoms. New research suggests that laws against prostitution increase the chances of spreading STDs like Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). This research was published in Social Science and Medicine and found that more women are forced to turn to street prostitution because indoor brothel work is criminalized, making denying clients who are set on not using protection harder for prostitutes (Bass 104). Opposition believes that legalizing prostitution would combat this problem. However, the opposition’s assertion that legalizing prostitution would decrease STDs does not fit the facts. First, frequent health check ups among prostitutes would not stop the spread of STDs. If a women is diagnosed with an STD, then the time is too late to stop STDs from spreading, even if a prostitute is given frequent check ups. Furthermore, legalizing prostitution would increase the amount of prostitutes on the streets. This means that although indoor brothel sex work would be legalized, there would still be a significant number of prostitutes left to work on the streets, making the opposition's argument invalid. The spread of STDs is not the only argument against the legalization of prostitution; an increase in human sex trafficking is an effect as well.