FF and Civil Partnership Bill

Madam, - David Carroll's vitriolic attack on Senator Jim Walsh (July 1st, 2008) was a good demonstration of liberal intolerance.

Senator Walsh is absolutely right to be concerned about the proposed Civil Partnerships Bill and his concern mirror that of a majority of the Irish people, despite what Mr Carroll would have us believe.

This Bill, if enacted, will fundamentally undermine the institution of marriage. Marriage enjoys the special protection of the State principally because it has proven benefits for society. The same cannot be said of same-sex unions. If the State is to confer similar rights and benefits on these unions, then this must undermine the institution of marriage itself. If everything is special, then nothing is.

The Government has simply allowed itself to be bullied into a corner by the highly organised and well funded militant gay lobby, who loudly deny that there is any difference between marriage and same-sex unions. There is a substantial body of evidence, however, which indicates that same-sex unions are far more prone to dissolution than heterosexual marital unions. They also experience higher rates of violence, mental and even physical illness.

National psychological associations have been criticised for bowing to the pressure of political correctness rather than analysing the evidence objectively. - Yours, etc,

MICHAEL O'DRISCOLL,

Blackrock,

Cork.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times