Sir, – It is sad to see Richard Waghorne (Opinion, April 20th) equate the push for same-sex marriage as being an attempted “unnecessary elevation of civil partnerships to the notional status of marriage”.
It is a very necessary and certainly not a “notional” ideal, as there are 161 legal differences between marriage and civil partnership, many of which have a negative impact on children in care of same-sex couples. It is this reality that has led all of the political parties in the Dáil to adopt motions in favour of legislation on the issue in recent months and years.
Instead of bemoaning a perceived lack of debate on the issue, perhaps Richard Waghorne could set out some real and practical reasons why same-sex couples should not be afforded equal civil rights.
Crying foul of a “cavalier and triumphalist liberalism” adds nothing to the conversation, and I am quite certain the majority of couples hoping for equal rights are neither cavalier or triumphalist, they are normal people looking for legal rights. – Yours, etc,