ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns a particular stage in the law reform process that preceded the tabling of the bill in 2015: the public consultation process held by a parliamentary committee that, according to the Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, played a critical role in the bill's content. It examines a three-year prostitution law reform process, undertaken by the Irish state whose outcome was the bill proposing the adoption of Swedish-style legislation. The chapter presents a brief history of feminist activism on prostitution in Ireland. It then traces the evolution of the law reform process with reference to pro Swedish-law motion in the Seanad (Upper House), which, though lost, forced a government commitment to a review, leading to the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality-led consultation. The chapter concludes by considering some implications of these events.
