The effects of the decriminalization of prostitution in CanadaIn 2007, three prostitutes, Terri-Jean Bedford, Amy Lebovitch and Valerie Scott, approached the Canadian government to challenge the current prostitution laws after pending charges were brought against them for illegal acts of prostitution (Chez Stella, 2013). The Bedford case opened a debate on whether prostitution should be decriminalized in Canada. Through my research, I provide a comparative analysis of four approaches to prostitution, which help to illustrate the effects that decriminalization would have on prostitutes and women as a whole. The four states I compared are Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia. These countries each have different opinions and policies regarding prostitution. Canada is currently criminalized, the Netherlands is a state in which prostitution is legalized, Sweden advocates abolitionism, and in Australia prostitution is decriminalized. Through careful analysis, I determined the effectiveness of each of the policies and which system I believe would be best for Canada's future. Based on this investigation, I advocate that Canada adopt a similar approach to Australia, decriminalizing prostitution as a means of social, economic and legal stability for women. It is through decriminalization that prostitutes will have the opportunity to become actively involved in the community and no longer be marginalized members of society. The Bedford case was initiated in 2007 by three sex workers who challenged three provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada, as they argued. these sections violate the constitutional rights of sex workers (Bennett, 2013). The Supreme Court ruled that these provisions actually violate Section 7 of the Rig Charter...... middle of document ......gChallenging Prostitution Laws: Bedford v. Canada. (nd). At Stella's. Accessed November 12, 2013 from http://www.chezstella.org/docs/StellaInfoSheet.pdf Comte, J. (March 2013). Decriminalization of sex work: feminist discourses in the light of research. Sexuality and culture, 18, 196-213. Gangoli, G. and Westmarland, N. (2006). International approaches to prostitution. 1-25. Outshoorn, J. (2001). Debating prostitution in Parliament. The European Journal of Woemn's Studies, 8(4), 472-490. Overall, C. (1992). What's wrong with prostitution? Evaluating sex work. Signs, 17(4), 705-724. Thompson, S. (2000). Prostitution – an ignored choice. 21 Women's Rts, 239-248. Van Der Meulen, E. (2009). Public policy in favor of women. (pp. 332-349). Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated. Van der Meulen, E. (February 2009). “Sex work and the state. Briarpatch Magazine.