Definitions of the family should be removed from the Constitution, which should not determine detailed matters of social policy, the Methodist Church in Ireland submitted yesterday.
Robert Cochran, secretary of the southern Council on Social Responsibility, said provisions regarding women in the home should also be removed as they were out of date and did not represent equal treatment.
At the Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution which is reviewing family rights, Mr Cochran said the Constitution's role was to portray general principles of public and social policy which could then be enacted through legislation.
"Thus for this reason we opposed proposals to insert specific regulations into the Constitution regarding abortion, divorce, etc, quite apart from our views for or against these specific proposals."
The Constitution should only state general principles relating to families and family rights.
"Current provisions in the Constitution should be taken out as it is not the right place for them in our view," Mr Cochran said.
Recommendations include removing the provision: "The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of marriage on which the family is founded and to protect it against attack."
Mr Cochran said the church would probably not be in favour of gay marriages but in society there should be equity in all reasonable forms of family.