Despite mainstream assumptions that America is the most progressive country in the world, there are a number of things we are still considered behind in.

One of these things is the legality of prostitution, one of the oldest professions in the world.

Although the controversial topic of legalizing prostitution seems recent, countries like Germany have had prostitution legalized since 1927.

Oftentimes in America, women who are caught are arrested and criminalized.

Here in Pullman, for example, two women and one man were arrested for crimes involving prostitution and drug possession in July of 2016.

In Washington, the penalty is up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fee.

However, in other states like Mississippi, prostitutes could spend a whole six months in jail if they are caught.

Penalties like that can be especially detrimental to women who work second jobs that they could lose as a result of time in jail as well as women who are the sole providers of their families.

Penalizing these women for using their bodies as a source of income to provide for themselves and their families is inhumane and counterproductive, not to mention the permanent stigmatization these women face after serving time.

The record of having been arrested for prostitution, a nonviolent but highly stigmatized profession, can prevent further opportunities for employment.

What is unfair about this practice is that women offering their bodies for service get penalized, while the men that pay for their services continue to live their lives with discretion.

Very rarely are questions asked regarding why a woman would choose to resort to selling their bodies as a means of survival.

Historically, women have turned to prostitution by force, as a last resort for money or simply by preference.

All of these factors do not warrant a reason for penalization because prostitution is a nonviolent action that is usually a choice.

“When, as a society, we say that prostitution or other forms of sex work should be illegal, what we are saying is that societal expectations of sex are not held in the hands of individuals,” WSU Women’s Studies Professor Leigh Gaskin said, “but that society has a vested interest in controlling sexuality and its expression.”

Legalizing sex work could lead to many benefits such as violence prevention and violence awareness, as well as STD awareness and prevention, all of which would be sanctioned by the state.

Instead of incarceration, support services should be offered for women who are forced into prostitution, regardless of whether they were forced by people or by circumstance.

Women who choose to be sex workers simply out of preference should be offered protection.

In Hungary, for example, there is even a Hungarian Prostitutes’ Interest Protection Association that ensures prostitutes and sex workers have a legal place in the economy and they have a union to report abuse to.

This is a humane outlook on sex work, which is contrary to ideas in America and other countries where prostitution is illegal.

Gaskin explains that this pushback against sex work comes from our society’s views on sex.

“As a culture, America is sexually repressive, especially when it comes to women expressing their sexual agency,” Gaskin said.

In places where it’s illegal, conversations surrounding prostitution often question the morals and values of the sex workers.

I would argue that treating women like they are not capable of making the right decisions for themselves is, in fact, devaluing and insulting to our intelligence.

Dominant and conservative narratives surrounding controversial topics like prostitution, sex work and abortion are all evident of the lack of choice women face with regards to conversations about their bodies.

Legalizing prostitution is not only a matter of allowing women authority over their own bodies, but also giving them state-sanctioned protection in every profession they enter.

Basheera Agyeman is a junior comparative ethnic studies major from Accra, Ghana. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of The Office of Student Media.