Abstract

I argue that sex work should be fully decriminalized for both the seller and the buyer. To make my case, I summarize the Nordic Model of sex work and critically assess both the practical and theoretical problems the Nordic Model poses for sex workers (Section 2). In Section 3, I argue that full decriminalization is favorable in all cases­–especially when we consider the most vulnerable workers–because it better promotes worker autonomy, financial stability, safety from clients and law enforcement, as well avoids undue harms such as jailtime, legal fees, and deportation in the case of undocumented or insecurely documented workers.