Should it be illegal to profit from adultery?

Rielle Hunter followed up her affair with John Edwards, the shamed former Democratic presidential hopeful, by posing provocatively for GQ. Ashley Dupre, the prostitute who serviced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, parlayed her fame into a new job as a sex columnist. Why is this legal, asks syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher, the president of the National Organization for Marriage? Lawmakers may not be able to outlaw infidelity, Gallagher argues, but they could try passing laws to help the injured wife sue a homewrecker if she tries to profit from the resulting notoriety. Here's an excerpt:

"Seeing Rielle Hunter sprawled like an aging model on the pages of GQ raises once again the question: Should there be a legal right to commit adultery?

The ACLU says yes, and so does much of the family law bar that seeks to strip the law of all vestiges of 'judgmentalism' (at least when it comes to sex). But what do the rest of us think?

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Here's what I think: There's something wrong with a society that permits adultery to become a pathway to commercial success."

Read the entire article here

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SEE THE WEEK'S LATEST COVERAGE OF RIELLE HUNTER:

• Rielle Hunter's GQ photoshoot: Is she the victim?