Prostitution is going to happen whether legal or not. Under legal supervision prostitutes would be more likely to approach the police for help in life threatening situations knowing they are not doing anything which could get them in legal trouble. In June 2003, New Zealand legalised prostitution. Since then, prostitutes in the country have reported feeling more comfortable seeking police help when hurt or threatened by a client. A study by The Christchurch School of Medicine found the legalisation of prostitution provided sex workers ‘employment, legal and health rights.’[1] For many desperate women, sex work is the only way to support themselves and their families. The legalisation of prostitution would not only better the situation of prostitutes themselves, but many clients of prostitutes also struggle to have sex due to: being handicapped, having a sexually transmitted disease and bad marriages. Sex is a normal and healthy part of life which everyone should experience, yet many struggle to find someone who wants to have sex with them. The benefits of sex include (but are not limited to): better heart health, stress relief and better self- image. Everyone should have a way to experience such benefits. Sociologists Weizer argues prostitutes aid their clients with sex and companionship. [2] [1] https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a20067359/why-prostitution-should-be-legal/ [2] https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/9-4-prostitution/

**Whether or not prostitution should be legalised is a very contentious issue. The bottom line is that it can't be stopped, and it has to be regulated.** - The main argument [against] (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/11/prostitution-legalised-sex-trade-pimps-women) making prostitution/sex work legal is that it is inherently abusive and exploitative and will never be safe, regardless of its legality. I don't disagree with this, but I think it fails to face the real issue at hand. - Legal or not, prostitution is not an industry that's going to die. When it's illegal, sex workers [can't appeal] (https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/07/why-sex-work-should-be-decriminalized) to any protective health/safety measures & they can't unionise. But when it is made legal, it becomes seen as a culturally acceptable line of work. - [The Nordic model] (https://nordicmodelnow.org/what-is-the-nordic-model/#:~:text=The%20Nordic%20Model%20approach%20to,reduce%20the%20demand%20that%20drives) tries to get around this - by condemning 'sex buyers' but not prostitutes themselves. However, as one sex worker said to an interviewer [in this article] (https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190419-should-prostitution-be-a-normal-profession), illegalising even one side of the exchange means that its operations will go underground. This means putting sex workers in dangerous situations where the authorities and health services won't be readily accessible. - Making all aspects of sex work/prostitution legal does run the risk of enabling and promoting the undeniably (in my opinion) exploitative nature of the trade. It's not ideal - but what should be at the forefront of our minds is the protection of the workers themselves.