645 words
Emily Bazelon is a writer for the New York Times. She wrote the short article, “Why is
Prostitution Illegal?”, which discusses the current laws in the United States regarding the sale of
sex and how they compare to the current laws in place in some European countries. Bazelon
presents the conclusion that the legalization of prostitution would not force more girls and
women into an industry of violence and unprotected sex, but rather help regulate an industry that
is going to exist regardless of its legality. She brings up a few of the main points against
legalizing prostitution such as the idea that it is exploitive and demeaning to sex workers. To this
argument, she responds that the legalization of prostitution might actually make the industry
much safer for those involved. She uses some European countries that have legalized
prostitution such as Germany and Austria as examples of this. Another premise she presents is
