Sex for money: It's capitalism, bitch!

OK, I'm just gonna say it: Why is prostitution illegal? In the wake of this Gov. Spitzer fiasco, I just have to ask.

We hear a lot of preaching about freedom in this country, especially from dingbats like Bush, and most Americans generally accept that the language of liberty over fascism is the governing parlance of our time. But as far as the female body is concerned, we're apparently lost in translation. For instance, we justify abortion by saying a woman has the inherent right to do what she pleases with her body, yet we criminalize women who choose to use their bodies to make a buck. Does that make sense?

Take the hysterics and morality out of the issue and consider it objectively. What we're talking about here is one consenting adult negotiating with a second consenting adult for a service (sex) in exchange for monetary compensation (money). With this nation's rich history and complete reliance on a market system, I'm astounded by the fact that this scenario is outlawed.

I'll concede to the anti-prostitution crowd the following points: prostitution is bad for monogamous marriages; prostitution perpetuates disease; and prostitution in many cases leads to abuse and objectifying of women. But much like the argument that can be made for legalizing marijuana, regulating and taxing prostitution would equal an astounding amount of money for the government, plus the added benefit of releasing prostitutes from our jails and freeing up space for real criminals, like murderers, rapists and presidents who invade foreign nations to steal their oil.

Also, as far as prostitution being unhealthy, I can go buy a pack of cigarettes right now, and I won't find the police banging down my door. If I were given the option between lung cancer and an STD, I would probably pick the STD. And if your marriage sucks so much that you feel the need to hire a prostitute, maybe you shouldn't be married in the first place.

Which leaves us with objectifying women. I think I could buy this argument if women were forced to have sex, but that's not the fucking point of prostitution. The point of prostitution is that a woman has a service that is in so much demand that they can charge money for it. I'm not sure how that equates to objectification.

Outlawing prostitution is just another insult to the American people -- the government telling us we aren't capable of making our own decisions about sex.