Quote Originally Posted by The Libertarian View Post
Journal.ie does an extensive fact check on claims by TORLERS that the 2015 Bill, which will no doubt form the basis of any upcoming one will effectively decriminalise sex work for service providers and this is the conclusion - MOSTLY FALSE!

http://www.thejournal.ie/sexual-offe...81672-Sep2016/

This excellent article also provides links to the 2015 Bill and previous anti sex worker/ anti sex work ones in The Republic!
Good article which is fairly definitive in terms of its conclusion.
With respect to the proposed new section 7A "payment etc. for sexual activity with a prostitute which creates an offence for a person "who pays,gives, offers or promises to pay a person (including a prostitute) is somewhat unclear. Does it mean that it is a crime to pay "any person" for sex or is it only a crime to pay a certain "class of person" i.e. a prostitute for sex.
The proposed legislation does not define prostitute but it does define "sexual activity" and the definition is fairly vague which appears to allow scope for the cops to bust a wide range of persons who may not consider themselves to be prostitutes e.g lap dancers.
To my relatively untrained legal eye this appears rather more political than legal in content and is certain to be challenged in the courts. I think Fitzgerald is well out of her depth on this and there was good reasons why the much maligned previous MOJ kicked to touch on this one.