Robert Summers-Berger

 
Moral conservatism has had a lasting, and demonstrably unhealthy, effect on the social

practices of consumers all over these United States. Political Moralism functions on a principle

of indoctrination. If a political movement can forcibly instill its ideals from birth, it can control

the political and economic tendencies of all people come adulthood. It is because of moralistic

indoctrination that when Americans today hear “prostitute,” they shudder imagining a disease

ridden, poor woman who serves a seedy pimp. This image is problematic on two major levels. 1.)

More than just women engage in or are capable of Sex-Work. 2.) Under government regulation,

STDs and seedy pimps could be either quelled or completely eradicated. Modern prostitution is

a treacherous thing, it would be foolhardy suggest otherwise. Of course it would also be

foolhardy- and ultimately untrue- to say that prostitution is bad for America. Indeed legalizing

and regulating prostitution can work wonders for our economy, our epidemiology, and our moral

fiber.

As a result of the mass proliferation of moral conservatism in our education materials, the

very mention of sex is taboo, meaning by default many of us have unhealthy, or simply

erroneous attitudes toward sex. Having an industry based around sex will help lift the mysticism

and normalize sex as a thing 99.9% healthy adults engage in at some point. So when listening to

the rest of my talk, keep in mind: sex is not a bad thing. It isn’t bad to have sex, to want to have

sex, or to look for consensual partners.

Now, the reward of legal prostitution is one seen mostly in green. According to Heidi

Fleiss of the Yale Law School publication ​Legal Affairs​, “The government would benefit by

collecting taxes on the industry. And regulation would clean up a lot of crime and help to protect

women." Our taxes go down as a result of Uncle Sam’s new source of revenue and the taxes
Robert Summers-Berger

collected could go straight to cleaning up violent crime. In Nevada, where prostitution is already

legal and heavily taxed, one sex worker can contribute up to $20,000 dollars annually according

to an Eastern Michigan University study. Applied to the entire United States, $20 billion, with a

B, could go toward building schools, running hospitals, and ending violent crime.

On the topic of crime it is important to remember that legal, government regulated

prostitution will not in any way involve human trafficking. As former legal prostitute, and

current author and activist Juno Mac says, willing women ​and ​men fill out an application and

“sign up for [their own] shifts” at brothels they choose to work at. Legal sex work is by its nature

entirely consensual and fair to the worker as is evident in the practice of self-selected shifts. In

addition, legal prostitutes are subject to regular and comprehensive STI checks, meaning

legalization is a safe and effective way to curb the horrible diseases often associated with sex

work.

Penultimately, I should like to address my opposition, who most often claim that

prostitution is simply bad for the moral and medical fortitude of America. In response to an

opinion that doubtlessly has its roots in the doctrine of religious ideologues, I will say that even

the most pious among us know prostitution for what it is. Bishop Vaclav Maly who “see[s]

prostitution as a reality of the modern world,” makes the point that “it is better to keep it in check

and under control by giving it a legal framework.” The modern Christian point of view,

according to Maly, knows that prostitution can be like any other business so long as it is

overseen by the government. What is more, those who fear the spread of disease should fear no

more. According to the American Journal Public Health, ​Not One ​of any of the close to 4,000

licensed prostitutes they surveyed had ever had intercourse without a condom while on the job,
Robert Summers-Berger

as doing so is be illegal. As the epidemiologists of the journal have it, regulated sex work makes

prostitution much safer on the client and the contractor.

When discussing Prostitution, it is well to remember that work as a prostitute is just that,

work. There is regular income, taxes to pay, and even a union; The International Committee for

Prostitutes’ Rights. They said it best when they published that the prostitute-client relationship is

just like that of “an independent contractor or employee.” The standing laws of this land lack the

progressive attitude the country usually prides itself on. As has become expected in my speeches,

I shall repeat myself. It isn’t wrong to have sex. It isn’t wrong to want to have sex It isn’t wrong

to look for consensual partners. Prostitution is an industry that has been unjustly demonized for

too long in ​this​ country and others. There is no time like the present to end the prohibition on sex

work. Thank you.

Robert Summers-Berger

Works Cited

Fleiss, Heidi. “In Defense of Prostitution.” ​Legal Affairs,​ Sept. 2003.

Mac, Juno, performer. ​The Laws that Sex Workers Really Want​. TED, 2016.

Radio Prague​. Radio Prague, 4 May 2002. Transcript.

Sonntag, Tracey Pierce. “The Case for Prostitution.” ​Emich.edu​, Eastern Michigan University,

2009, people.emich.edu/tsonntag/engl444/printtoweb/tax_revenue.html. Accessed 17

May 2017.

International Committee for Prostitutes’ Rights. “World Charter For Prostitutes' Rights”

February 1985. First World Conference, Amsterdam.