Ohio lawmakers have introduced a new bill that doesn’t just crack down on sex work-it punishes the people doing it, their clients, and anyone who tries to stay safe while doing either. The plan, framed as a ‘protection’ measure, is really just a rehash of failed policies from the 1990s. It increases penalties for solicitation, forces mandatory counseling for those arrested, and gives police broader powers to monitor online ads. What’s missing? Any real support for people who sell sex, any discussion of harm reduction, or even a nod to the fact that criminalization makes their lives more dangerous.
Some might point to services like independent escort girls london as examples of how sex work can be organized, consensual, and low-risk. But Ohio’s law doesn’t care about nuance. It treats every transaction the same, whether it’s someone working out of their apartment with a vetted client or a teenager trafficked against their will. That’s the problem: one-size-fits-all punishment ignores reality.
Why This Law Won’t Stop Anything
Since 2005, over 30 U.S. states have tried similar laws. A 2023 study from the University of California found that increased criminalization didn’t reduce sex work-it pushed it further underground. Workers moved from online platforms to street corners. Clients switched to encrypted apps. And violence against sex workers went up by 41% in those same areas. Ohio’s new bill is just following that same dead-end path.
Police in Columbus and Cincinnati say they’re already overwhelmed. They’re not arresting pimps-they’re arresting people who are trying to earn money without a safety net. One woman arrested in Toledo last month had been working for six months to pay for her daughter’s insulin. She wasn’t trafficking anyone. She wasn’t exploiting anyone. She was just trying to survive.
How Criminalization Makes Things Worse
When sex work is illegal, workers can’t report abuse. They can’t ask for help from the police. They can’t get screened for STIs without fear of arrest. They can’t open bank accounts. They can’t rent apartments. They can’t get a job later, because a criminal record follows them forever.
Compare that to places like New Zealand, where sex work has been decriminalized since 2003. Workers there report higher safety, better access to healthcare, and lower rates of violence. They can negotiate boundaries with clients. They can screen people before meetings. They can walk away from bad situations without worrying about being arrested for it. Ohio’s law does the opposite.
The Real Target Isn’t Trafficking-It’s Autonomy
Lawmakers keep saying this bill is about stopping trafficking. But trafficking is already a felony under federal law. You don’t need new state laws to arrest someone who’s forcing another person into sex work. What this law does is criminalize the choices of adults who are doing work they’ve chosen-even if society doesn’t approve.
There’s a pattern here. When people don’t understand why someone would do sex work, they assume it’s all coercion. But the truth is more complicated. Some people do it because they’re in debt. Some do it because they’re single parents. Some do it because they’re trans and can’t find other work. Some do it because they like the flexibility. None of that makes them criminals.
And yet, Ohio’s bill treats them all the same. It doesn’t ask why. It doesn’t offer alternatives. It just says: arrest them, shame them, lock them up.
What About the Clients?
The bill doesn’t stop at workers. It also increases penalties for clients. First offense? $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail. Second offense? $5,000 and six months. Third? Felony charges. That’s not deterrence-that’s punishment designed to humiliate.
Most clients aren’t predators. They’re lonely people. They’re men who’ve been rejected by society. They’re women who feel isolated. They’re people who can’t afford therapy or companionship. Criminalizing them doesn’t fix loneliness. It just pushes it further into the shadows.
And here’s the irony: the same lawmakers pushing this bill are the ones cutting funding for mental health services, affordable housing, and job training programs. So they’re punishing people for doing work that’s a symptom of a broken system-without fixing the system.
Where Do We Go From Here?
There are better ways. Vancouver’s harm reduction program gives sex workers access to secure spaces, health screenings, and legal advice. In Nevada, licensed brothels operate under strict rules-with regular health checks, background screenings, and worker protections. Even in conservative states like Utah, some cities have started pilot programs that redirect people arrested for prostitution into social services instead of jail.
Ohio could do the same. But instead, they’re doubling down on a model that’s been proven to fail. The bill doesn’t mention housing, mental health, or economic support. It doesn’t talk about education or job retraining. It doesn’t even mention working with sex worker-led organizations, who’ve been saying for years: criminalization kills.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about Ohio. It’s part of a national trend. In Texas, Florida, and Alabama, similar bills are moving through legislatures. They’re all based on the same myth: that sex work can be erased by force. But you can’t legislate desire. You can’t outlaw poverty. And you can’t protect people by making them more vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the people most affected are being ignored. Advocates from groups like the Sex Workers Outreach Project and the Ohio Harm Reduction Collective have been shut out of hearings. Testimonies from current and former sex workers were dismissed as ‘anecdotal.’ But when the data shows that criminalization increases violence, and the lived experiences of hundreds of people confirm it-why are we still pretending this works?
There’s a moment coming when people will look back at laws like this and wonder how we ever thought it was okay. How we let fear override compassion. How we chose punishment over care. How we looked at someone trying to survive and decided they deserved to be punished for it.
It’s not about whether you agree with sex work. It’s about whether you believe people deserve to be safe while they’re trying to live. Ohio’s new law says no. And that’s not just bad policy. It’s cruel.
And if you’re wondering why this matters outside Ohio-it’s because this is the playbook. Other states are watching. And if Ohio passes this, they’ll copy it. That’s why silence isn’t an option.
Some people say, ‘Why not just leave it alone?’ But leaving it alone means letting people die in silence. The alternative isn’t perfection. It’s safety. It’s dignity. It’s letting people make choices without being locked up for them.
Ohio’s plan isn’t smart. It’s not original. And it’s not going to fix anything. It’s just going to hurt more people.