Pathfinder: Legalizing the Oldest Profession
 
 Many people simply do not want to deal with the 'problem.' Politicians fear that their careers will be ruined if they even just touch upon the 'problem' with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole. People simply don't want that certain stigma attached to their names. However, whatever the reasons, whatever the stigmas, whatever the social disgraces, it still remains that the age old 'problem' of prostitution needs to be adequately addressed.
 Everyday, across the world, women go to work in the sex trade. Some women are beaten and raped by clients and pimps and police. Some women walk the streets in a nearby neighborhood, an unpleasant nuisance. Others work legally in places like Amsterdam, Germany, and certain, highly regulated zones in Nevada, much to the chagrin of certain residents. Still others work quietly, unseen, from rented flats, trying to pay off their children's school dues. In the U.S. alone, over one million women have worked as prostitutes.
 The issue of prostitution is obviously a pertinent one. Since the monumental Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973, which indicated that women had the right to control their bodies, campaigns for the legalization of prostitution have sprung up worldwide. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Organization for Women (NOW) united with other organizations formed with the intent of preserving women's rights, bodily rights and privacy rights. Other organizations have formed that target only the issue of prostitution and its legality, for instance, Cast Off Your Old Tired Ethics (COYOTE), Prostitution Laws Are Nonsense (PLAN), Hooking Is Real Employment (HIRE), and the Red Thread.
 How many more women must be beaten? Exploited? Raped? Used? Sold? Where
is the solution? Does one seek to obliterate prostitution through enforcing laws against it? Will prostitution continue regardless? If so, does one legalize prostitution with the notion that prostitutes can be better protected if the police and government know what's going on? Is prostitution liberating for women or is it damaging? These are all significant questions to consider when contemplating the legalization of the world's oldest profession.
 NOTE: In the interest of maintaining accessibility, this pathfinder addresses only the controversy of prostitution, and it's subsequent legal issues, within the Western World. (i.e. U.S., Canada, Holland, England…) When researching this topic, it is important to understand Roe v. Wade, and the Roe II decisions. It is also important to understand and know the discrepancies of the stands Western Europe and the United States take on prostitution. In addition, one should be sure to visit the subscription database, GaleNet. GaleNet has a plethora of diverse information on prostitution, both pro- and ant-legislation.
 
Resources
 
Background information on sexuality.
 
Print Sources 
 
William Marsiglio, et al. "Sexual Behavior Patterns." Encyclopedia of Sociology. 
 2nd ed.,5 vols. Macmillan, 2000.
 This article provided in-depth information on human sexuality. It clearly addressed the behavioral patterns of different age groups and had a separate section for the address of sex workers. This article provides substantial background information for forming an understanding of the sex industry.
 
Matousek, Mark. "Sexual Addiction is a Serious Problem." Human Sexuality.
 Brenda Stalcup, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints Series. Greenhaven Press, 1995.
 This article, though not solely focused on prostitution, provided background information on the causes of sexual addiction. The article linked sexual addiction to incest, rape and prostitution.
 
 
 
Subscription Databases
 
"What Constitutes Normal Sexual Behavior?" Human Sexuality: Opposing
Viewpoints. Reproduced in Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Farmington, Mich.: Gale Group, 2003. .
 Again, this article did not solely focus on prostitution, rather in took into account all different accounts of sexual behaviors. The article examines different sexualities and prostitution to determine whether or not the behaviors were 'normal.'
 
Information relating to ethics of prostitution.
 
Print Sources
 
Robinson, Lillian S. "Liberation Struggle." Women's Review of Books. 10/01/1997. Pages 19-20.
 Lillian S. Robinson, a feminist and feature writer of Women’s Review of Books, reviewed two books, Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor by Wendy Chapkis, and Casting Stones: Prostitution and Liberation in Asia and the United States by Rita Nakashima Brock and Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite. Robinson took a pro-legalization stance when reviewing the two books, and provided criticism of the three authors' methods of addressing legalization.
 
Gardner, Dan. "Coffee? Prayers? Sex? Part One: Church and Brothel make for
odd bedmates in Amsterdam, but tolerance is the key in the liberated Dutch society that threw out the rule books for the rest of us to follow." Ottawa Citizen. 2/23/02.
 
Gardner, Dan. "Coffee? Prayers? Sex? Part Two: Church and Brothel make for
odd bedmates in Amsterdam, but tolerance is the key in the liberated Dutch society that threw out the rule books for the rest of us to follow." Ottawa Citizen. 2/23/02.
 These two feature articles by Dan Gardner, a staff writer of the Ottawa Citizen, illustrate the sex industry from an outside, distinctly Western perspective of the Netherlands. The articles include pro and con commentary from citizens of the Red Light District, as well as commentary from the Dutch police and prostitutes.
 
Sloan, Lacy. "Prostitution Should be Decriminalized." Sex. Mary E. Williams, Ed. Excerpted
 from "Who Owns Prostitution - and Why?" by Lacy Sloan. Free Inquiry. Fall, 1997.
 Lacy Sloan is a professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Houston. She is an ardent supporter of the sex industry. In her article, Sloan argues that prostitution should be decriminalized because sex workers are entrepreneurs and should be granted the same rights as other workers, in different fields. She expounds on this point by rationalizing that legalization would prevent exploitation and abuse of prostitutes.
 
Anthony, Jane. "Prostitution Harms Women." Ms. January/February 1992.
 Jane Anthony is a former prostitute and her article takes a decidedly anti-legalization stance. Anthony explains that prostitution is only the exploitation and abuse of women, and is hardly ever a free choice, as many other feminists believe.
 
Beram, Nell. "Prostitution Demeans Women." Sex. Mary E. Williams, Ed.
 Excerpted from "Sex Work and Feminism" by Nell Beram. Z Magazine. March,
 1998.
 Beram is editor of the Hungry Mind Review, who contends that sex workers are controlled by the men who purchase their services rather than themselves. Beram repeatedly rejects the theory that sex work can be empowering for women.
 
Monet, Veronica. "Prostitution Can Benefit Women." Human Sexuality. Brenda Stalcup,
 Ed. Opposing Viewpoints Series. Greenhaven Press, 1995. Excerpted from "Sex
Worker and Incest Survivor: A Healthy Choice?" by Veronica Monet. Gauntlet, vol. 1, 1994.
 Veronica Monet is a prostitute and member of COYOTE. In her article she contends that prostitution can be, for some women, a better, more fulfilling job than office work and is a normal part of human sexuality. She believes that prostitution should be legalized under the reasoning that legalization would decrease some of the stigma attached to the profession.
 
Wahab, Stephanie. "For Their Own Good?" Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare. December 
 2002. Vol. 29, issue 4.
This article takes the pro- legislation side of the debate. The article provides an overview of prostitution in the United States from the 1800s to the present. Wahab reasons that prostitution should be legalized in order to prevent exploitation and protect the right of women.
 
Gibb, John. "Hookers at Sports Day." Spectator. November 23, 2002. Vol. 290, Issue 9094.
 In his article, John Gibb takes neither the pro- nor anti-legislation side. Instead, he recounts his interview with an old friend who now works as a prostitute to finance her daughter's education. "Hookers at Sports Day" examines the reasons why middle-class women of civilized society choose to enter into prostitution.
 
Subscription Databases
 
Winnick, Charles. "Prostitution." Macmillian Compendium: Social Issues. Macmillan,
1998. Reproduced in Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group, 2003. <http://www.galenet.com/servlet/OVRC>.
 "Prostitution" details the subculture of the sex worker, as well as states facts and statistics regarding prostitution, exploitation and legalization. This article is extremely helpful if one is looking only for facts without obvious bias attached.
 
"Prostitution." Issues and Controversies. September 1, 2000. FACTS.com. <http://www.2facts.
 com>.
 Again, like Charles Winnick's article, this article recounts only the facts, devoid of opinion, of prostitution. However, this article is from a distinctly modern perspective, and goes into great depth about the Roe II lawsuit and ruling.
 
Online Resources
 
Thomas, William. "Morality and Legality." The Objectivist Center. 4/9/2002. <http://www.
 objectivistcenter.org/objectivism/q-and-a-answer.asp?QuestionID=30>.
 This article examines, from an Objectivist standpoint, the legality and morality of prostitution, drug usage and pornography. Thomas reasons that the purpose of the government is to protect individual rights, using force only when a person's actions harm others, and so prostitution, drug usage and pornography should be legal.
 
"Concourt Ruling on Prostitution Dismissed as 'Silly'." SABC/ South African Broadcasting 
 Company. 10/9/2002. .
 This article, from SABC, is an account of a recent ruling in South Africa that declared prostitution illegal. It featured an interview with a prostitute who owned a brothel along with five other prostitutes.
 
Information/ laws/ rulings relating to ethics of prostitution and constitutional rights.
 
Subscription Databases
 
"Mann Act is Passed, 1910." DIScovering U.S. History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in 
 Student Resources Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group, October, 2001. .
 This article is just a simple outline. It details the legalization of the Mann Act and it's consequences. This is not an article to look to for great depth and understanding of the Mann Act.
 
 
Keywords/ Phrases
 
'Prostitution'; 'prostitution+legality'; 'legalizing+prostitution'; 'Roe v. Wade'; 'Roe II'; 'decriminalizing+prostitution'; 'prostitution+ethics'; 'Holland+prostitution'; 'prostitution+laws'; 'COYOTE+organization'; 'prostitution+feminism'; "prostitution+controversy'; 'prostitute+rights';
'prostitution+constitution'.
 
Contacts
United States:
 
NOW (National Organization for Women)
733 15th St NW, 2nd floor
WASHINGTON, D.C., 20005
Ph: 202-628-8NOW (8669)
Fax: (202) 785-8576
http://www.now.org
 
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
NEW YORK, NY, 10004
http://www.aclu.org
 
COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics)
National Task Force On Prostitution
P.O. Box 6297
San Francisco
CALIFORNIA CA 94104-6297
Ph: 415-5580450
 
HIRE (Hooking Is Real Employment)
Munroe Dr,
Atlanta
GEORGIA GA 30308
Ph: 404-976-1212
 
PONY (Prostitutes Organization of New York)
Lexington Ave,
New York City
NEW YORK NY 10016
Ph: 212-889-2354
 
Canada:
 
CORP
(Canadian Organization for the Rights of Prostitutes)
P.O. Box 724
Toronto MST IR5
ONTARIO
Ph: 416-964-0150 (country code: 1)
 
England:
 
PLAN (Prostitution Laws Are Nonsense)
42 Thornhill Square,
London N1
ENGLAND
Ph: 1-607-1960 (country code: 44)
 
English Collective of Prostitutes
P.O. Box 287
London NW6 5QU
ENGLAND
Ph. 1-837-7509 (country code: 44)
 
The Netherlands:
 
De Rode Draad (The Red Thread)
Kloveniersburgwal, 47 Amsterdam,
NETHERLANDS
Ph: 011-31-20-624-3366
Fax: 011-31-20-620-0383
 
 
Liddy Morris, April 2003.