Decriminalization of Prostitution

Today, 49 of the 50 states outlaw prostitution, in contrast to other Western nations such as England, the Netherlands, and Germany. In 1959 the American Law Institute's (ALI) Model Penal Code did not endorse the decriminalization of prostitution, though it did suggest decriminalizing other previously criminal sexual behaviors, such as homosexuality. At the time, the ALI cited several problems with prostitution which prevented it from making a recommendation of legalization, including that it encourages the spread of venereal disease, that i

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virus (HIV) infection. The study found that sexual practices and drug use were closely linked and that drug use and sexual practices, including the use of condoms, varied considerably according to the kinds of relationships engaged in by women. Indeed, the findings suggested that the women underestimated the probability of HIV infection posed by their personal behaviors because they did not consider unprotected sex with multiple partners as risky (Muller and Boyle 35-47). Analyses of other STDs have been used to ascertain compliance with such behaviors as condom use, intended to reduce the spread of STDs and AIDS alike. A survey of the literature in JAMA in 1989 suggested that reported rates of syphilis greatly increased in the 1980s, rising, for instance, some 70 percent in the state of Connecticut between 1984 and 1987. The rise was associated with increased frequency of contact with prostitutes and increased drug use ("Relationship of Syphilis to Drug Use and Prostitution" 353-354). Epstein reports on a social experiment in Hong Kong by which a brothel was set up in 1987 to cater to the interests of British diplomats and run by social workers. It proved to be a successful experiment in managing venereal disease in the
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Approximate Word count = 1630
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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