A bill to legalize sex work is being considered–and gaining significant traction–in Vermont.
The proposed legislation is currently being reviewed in the House Judiciary Committee.
Four female lawmakers in the Vermont House sponsored the bill and are pushing it as a means to provide much-needed health and safety regulations to the black market sex trade.
The sponsors of the bill argue that by bringing prostitution out from the shadows, those engaging in sex work won’t have to fear for an arrest should they need aid from the police, which is particularly helpful in an industry rife with exploitation and abuse.
Under Thailand criminal law, prostitution is illegal but the lack of enforcement has led to Thailand becoming a sex trade hotspot, with over 300,000 sex workers in the country.
As it stands now, Nevada is the only state in the US that allows prostitution–but only in registered brothels in certain counties with less than 400,000 residents.
Legalizing prostitution is becoming a more and more accepted idea in the US as progressives and libertarians join forces in favoring its decriminalization.
Bernie Sanders, a Senator from Vermont and one of the leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, has stated in the past that he is open to the idea of legalizing prostitution nationwide.
Opponents of the bill claim that by decriminalizing sex work, states run the risk of legitimizing prostitution and bringing it into the mainstream–which could lead to higher demand.
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