In common with probably 99.9999% of men, I've imagined what it might be like to visit a bordello.  Ah, fantasy! 

In real life, I've never been there.  Not that there haven't been times when the release would have been welcome.  But chance, and a certain inexplicable reluctance, have intervened.

But I'll be danged if I can see why prostitution is any business of the law.

Are we the land of the free and home of the brave, or the land of the slaves and home of the cowards?  Prostitution is a free and fair trade between consenting adults (I'll not defend the sexual exploitation of children, of course), and is no one else's business.

Let's see . . . what are some of the usual objections?

- Prostitution spreads disease.  Exactly why it shouldn't be driven underground!  Laws against prostitution are the one certain way to keep disease out of sight, out of control.

- The woman is being exploited.  Well, if she has a pimp who beats and enslaves her, yes.  That's a separate issue (and a genuine crime, which is, of course, exacerbated by the fact that the women can't complain to police).  Many women freely enter the profession, preferring shorter hours and more pay compared to other available job options.  In a sense, every employer "exploits" us, preying upon our hunger for money.  Making prostitution different from other professions in this regard is a purely artificial construct.

- The man is straying from his wife.  Maybe he is, and I'm not going to defend straying.  The prostitute is not to blame, however; the cheating husband is.  Criminalizing prostitution hasn't made the problem go away, in any case.

- Vice breeds more vice.  Underground vice breeds vice, without doubt.  Legalized, voluntary trade does not threaten anyone.

- Prostitution encourages rape.  What nonsense: Men without sexual outlet are the danger.  Or men so sick that no amount of actual release can tame their demons.

- Sex is sacred.  That is for each person to decide.

- Sex is bad.  Sez you!

Sex is a natural, vital part of life.  Some men don't have a supply of women who are willing to partner with them for free.  That's what the marketplace is for.  I daresay many inept men learn skills such that, over time, they find they CAN woo women who will couple with them in the world outside. 

And (how can I put this delicately?) some men find that the cost of having a wife or long-term girlfriend is not worth it.  They prefer to have their sex in a more neat, tidy way.  Who are we to judge?

The shameful secret of the criminalization of prostitution is that it is perpetrated by people who have a perverted fear of sex.  It's not a crime to be sick, but it IS a crime to parlay your sickness into meddling into the lives of other human beings.  Butt out!