Imagine a world where your basic human needs and desires are not met. Every day, you sink deeper into a void of self-deprecation and hatred. You lose all sight of your self-esteem, both physical and sexual. In 1970, Abraham Maslow published his comprehensive hierarchy of needs, providing undeniable evidence that sexual stimulation is necessary for healthy human functioning and self-esteem (McLeod). Sex, a basic physiological and psychological need, essential for the proper development of the psyche, has been vilified as vile and “impure” for hundreds of years. In particular, the practice of prostitution (the exchange of currency for sex of any kind) was seen as a source of wickedness. This bias led the United States government to make prostitution illegal, under the pretext that prostitution led to violence against women. This set of laws was supported by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Over the years, prostitution has become illegal in many other countries for the same reason. Modern thinkers and sociologists view prostitution in two ways. Some believe that regulated prostitution helps protect women from rape and abuse. The other is that prostitution is the highest form of misogyny and sexism in modern society (Marsiglio, Scanzoni, Broad). These opposing views are supported by a mixture of evidence from both sides. However, arguments against prostitution rely on pre-existing social stereotypes. For this reason and many others, the United States should legalize regulated prostitution, because legalizing the practice would increase tax revenue and decrease the prison population, arrest rate, and frequency of rape. Additionally, the l...... middle of paper ......2014. .McClanahan, Susan F., PhD, Gary M. McClelland, PhD, Karen M. Abram, PhD, and Linda A. Teplin, PhD. “Pathways to prostitution among female prisoners and their implications for mental health services.” Journal of Psychiatric Services 12th ser. 50 (1999): n. page. PsychiatryOnline. Psychiatric Services, December 1, 1999. Web. April 11, 2014. McLeod, Saul. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply psychology. SimplyPsychology, 2007. Web. May 6, 2014. “Prostitution.” Current issues: Macmillan Social Sciences Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Internet. April 21, 2014. Weissmueller, Z. (2014, 05). The wrong cure for sex trafficking. Reason, 46, 60-61. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1512880797?accountid=35835