Dear Next President,

Legalize prostitution. All of the cool kids started doing it: Norway, Sweden, and Iceland decriminalized the selling of sex, but not the buying, and it’s working really well.

The “Swedish Model” is supposed to pin the blame on the buyer rather than the seller, and it does exactly what they hoped it would, but it isn’t perfect; it doesn’t decriminalize the buying of sex. If we decriminalized prostitution altogether, we could potentially decrease rape. This happened in Rhode Island between 2004 and 2009, when they had a loophole in their law which decriminalized the buying and selling of sex, and during that time rape decreased by 31% (businessinsider.com).

Sweden has decreased the amount of women and girls trafficked to Sweden to 200 to 400 per year, while Finland (which is right next to Sweden) has 15,000 to 17,000 per year (justicewomen). This is without even decriminalizing the buying of sex, so imagine what it could do for us if certain tweaks were made.

Decriminalizing prostitution in the US would also open doors to keep prostitutes safe. It would be easier for them to get tested, since they wouldn't have to hide the fact that they are prostitutes. When prostitution was legal in Rhode Island, not only did instances of rape decrease, but female gonorrhea decreased by 39%, as well (businessinsider).

Currently, prostitution is illegal in most states in the US, and the punishment is usually the same or worse for the prostitute than it is for their customer. Legalizing prostitution could potentially resolve several of America's concerns regarding rape, STDs, and sex trafficking.

Sincerely,

Niko Selski