Several global advocacy groups, including the World Health Organization, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, are calling for the decriminalization of prostitution, but many are fighting to keep the practice illegal, citing the moral, ethical, and practical concerns of condoning the sale of sex. Here are the pros and cons of legalizing prostitution:

PRO

1 Creates additional tax revenue to be withheld from women’s health care
2 Bold new frontier of Yelp reviews
3 Politicians caught soliciting prostitutes can boast about supporting small businesses
4 Would free up law enforcement agents to finally win that war on drugs
5 Saves us from any chance of a modern reimagining of Risky Business
6 Probably a little easier than convincing everyone to stop.


CON

1 Sex is wrong
2 One more group we’re forced to acknowledge as human beings
3 Commodifies women without the benefit of a two-year contract from Maybelline
4 With legalization of marijuana and gay marriage, news outlets can’t afford to lose another source of endless debate
5 Clients will still be terrible people
6 If we let consenting adults have sex, who knows what else they’ll want permission to do?