Legalizing Prostitution Essay

Your Grade: 90.4 A- Informative introduction to the topic, a controversial issue (worth 15%)87 ~political or historical context ~facts or statistics ~examples or anecdotes ~quotations from authorities and experts Informative introduction to two sources (web pages, articles, editorials, or essays) and their opposing positions on the issue (worth 20%)90 ~two authors’ names ~their professional affiliations or credentials ~titles of the two sources ~publication information ~each author’s thesis Analytical and constructive analysis of the opposing positions (worth 40%)88 ~points of disagreement (values, moral principles, ideology, needs and interests, fears and concerns, priorities or agendas) ~points of agreement (over same, values etc.) ~suggestions for developing the conversation, building common ground, possibly striking a compromise Fair and impartial presentation (worth 10%)100 ~represent each side fairly and accurately ~be clear your purpose is to highlight and foster common ground ~don’t judge either of the opposing positions ~give equal attention to both Readable structure (worth 10%)95 ~thesis and forecasting statement/s (saying that in the face of disagreement common ground exists) ~topic sentences for paragraphs ~consistent labels for the opposing positions (e.g. authors’ last names) ~transitional words or phrases Sentence-level issues (worth 5%)93 ~following the guidelines on style, syntax, and punctuation that I’ve covered in PP presentations Rulx Muller Malbranche Nathanael Tagg 06/03/2013 Eng. 101 Legalizing Prostitution Considered as the world’s oldest job, prostitution has hunted society for ages. In some culture, it is seen as taboo, while in the United States the debate of legalizing it is prevailing. As a fact, prostitution cannot be put aside, something have to be done about it. Therefore, people from different background want to convey their point of view by any means possible. Some individuals come to say that prostitution should be legalized because it is a consensus between two people, and therefore, it should be respected. While others advance the principle of ethics, values and morals. In any case, this debate is in course, and prostitution on the other hand is still practiced, legalized or not. In 2012, an article appeared in the New York Times magazine called â€Å"Legality brings protection and better care†. Chika Unigwe, PhD; the Nigerian-born author gives some of the reasons why prostitution should no longer be without law controls. She argues that where prostitution is illegal, women are more at risk of being violated by their customers, because they are by themselves; without help from any other. Cecilia Hoffman, Secretary of the Coalition against Trafficking in Women, wrote in 1997 a paper, â€Å"Sex: From Human Intimacy to Sexual Labor†. In this text she asserts that â€Å"prostitution  violate the right to physical and moral integrity† and also â€Å"the right to liberty and security†; therefore, it should not be legalized. Admittedly, Unigwe and Hoffman seem to be on different sides of the question. However, both share a common ambition, which is to protect women in general. Unigue states that, â€Å"criminalizing prostitution does not irradiate it†¦, it gives the customers in unfair advantage†. (Chika Unigwe, nytimes,com, April 19, 2012). From her point of view, the fact that we associate prostitution with crime and violence does not eliminate its existence. It reinforces the customers to take profit of the situation, knowing that it is a dirty game; therefore they should also play dirty. For Unigwe, legalizing prostitution will give women better advantages in this practice. Whereas Hoffman, who does not consider the advantages that would bring such legalization. She focuses instead in the consequences of prostitution in real life. She declares that â€Å"Prostitution violates the prohibition of slavery , of force labor and trafficking in person†(catwap.wordpress.com, Cecilia Hoffman, n.d).It is clear that for Hoffman prostitution have too much negative effects on women, that should not lead to its legalization. Unigwe continues to emphasize the benefits of legalizing this old practice by asserting that it would give support to women who need help in the business. â€Å"Pimp have these illegal prostitutes in their power because the women can find no resource to help† (Chika Unigwe, nytimes,com, April 19, 2012). According to her, the fact that women are suffering in this practice is undeniable, thus, their need for help is prevailing. The legality of prostitution, for the author, will protect the right for women to be safer in their practice, to have the laws and regulations as their backup in any case of attack or violation. On the other hand, Hoffman does not comply with this point of view; she belittles the practice of prostitution in itself. Conforming to her view point, prostitution is a set of violations of human’s right. â€Å"It violates the right to enjoy the highest standard of physical and mental health† (catwap.wordpress.com, Cecilia Hoffman, n.d). She implies the violence, diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and unsafe abortion, all part of the common problems encountered in prostitution. For this reason, legalizing this practice also means legalizing diseases, unsafe abortion and so forth, something that Hoffman would totally disagree upon. Besides Hoffman ideas, there are other points to denote. Unigwe would say that the rate of disease is high among the prostitutes because many of them do not have easy access to health care as the legal workers. â€Å" even though some charity organization provide health care for illegal sex workers, many of them are reluctant and fear to accept the help† (Chika Unigwe, nytimes,com, april 19, 2012). The fact for these prostitutes to be illegal, cause them to resort to stay in darkness in order to survive. According to Unigwe, there is a way to decrease the rate of diseases between the prostitutes, which is by making prostitution legal. Subsequently, they will have better access to health care; there will be no fear among them of being marginalized. Both Unigwe and Hoffman are aware of the consequences or effects of prostitution on women in particular. This shared value- women right prevails- constitute a common ground between the two sides. Both have a common preoccupation, but they have different ways of expressing it. Nevertheless, this common ground does not lead them to the same conclusion. Hoffman is totally against the legality of prostitution, considering it as a humiliation or degradation of women values, reducing them to â€Å"simple commodity† to be â€Å"bought and sold†. She stands against prostitution as a practice, and considers it as an aberration that need to be eradicated in our society; if possible. However, Unigwe is more open minded on the subject, while being against the problems encountered by the prostitutes. In contrast with Hoffman, she proposes the benefits related to such legality, both for the women and for society. She advances that:â€Å"women who work legally have better access to health care, protection against violent customers and protection against exploitation†( Chika Unigwe, nytimes,com, april 19, 2012). She also believes that society gains money from such legality, precisely through income tax revenues. In her point of view, this is a good approach to face the blatant phenomenon of prostitution. As two sociological active people, Hoffman and Unigwe are obviously emphasizing the need for women to be treated fairly well. Hoffman believes  that the female gender would be more protected and considered if prostitution’s rate was decreasing; thus legalizing it is out of her list. Whereas Unigwe, who consider the fact that there is actually prostitutes who are suffering in order to survive. Based on this, she thinks of the legality of prostitution as a way to help them in their cause. Although Hoffman and Unigwe view prostitution on different angles, they shared a key value that can probably lead them to a consensus in the future. Work cited Chika Unigwe, Legality Brings Protection and Better Care, The New York Time website, april 19, 2012. Cecilia Hoffman, â€Å" Sex: From human intimacy to sexual labor†, CATW-AP website, n.d.