The editors at The Daily Californian — the independent student newspaper at UC Berkeley — say that if Californians can shoot porn, then they can also become prostitutes. And this isn’t a slippery slope argument against shooting pornography: it’s a sincere call for the legalization of prostitution.

Greg Piper at The College Fix has the story:

Porn Is Legal In California, Prostitution Should Be Too, ‘Daily Cal’ Argues

Beseeching its readers to look past their “antiquated morality,” the editorial board for The Daily Californian – UC-Berkeley’s independent paper – called for the legalization of prostitution in the state:

Despite a societal emphasis on monogamy or polygyny, and despite the criminalization of the industry, the profession persists all over the world. In the places where prostitution is legal, sex workers have more rights. They can expect the cooperation of law enforcement when they are the victims of robbery or assault. They are regulated by laws that require their regular medical testing for public safety in many countries. They can even unionize.

Saying that young prostitutes often get caught up in the juvenile justice system while their pimps escape arrest, the board blames an “American tradition of legislating morality” that society has tossed aside when it comes to smut:

Logically, prostitution is not morally different from the production of pornography; an industry that is legal, unionized and regulated by the state of California. Through that regulation, the state ensures that no minors act in pornographic films and can even insist on condom use in scenes of intercourse.