Madam, - Peter Doyle (November 14th) says that "the institution of marriage in Ireland has to be one of the most unpalatable legal contracts for any man to consider". He is absolutely right. The anti-man family law system has corrupted marriage to such an extent that all responsible parents should do their level best to ensure that their sons never get married.
But Mr Doyle should not be too surprised at Mr Alan Shatter's lack of concern for the lot of men in divorce and separation cases. Mr Shatter is one of the chief architects and chief beneficiaries of the current family law system which has been successfully designed to achieve three objectives: to persecute men; to privilege women; and to create another gravy train for the legal profession.
Unfortunately, young men are still entering into marriage contracts which have a very real potential to destroy their lives. It is the norm in marriage breakdowns for men to lose their homes, lose their children, be left living in financial and emotional poverty in sub-standard accommodation often still paying maintenance and mortgages so that their wives can continue living in comparative luxury. It is now recognised that the routine destruction of men's lives in family law is a contributory factor to the high rate of male suicide. If such injustices were inflicted on women the family law system would have been dismantled years ago.
Of course men are not given this vital information on pre-marriage courses. The leading men's groups such as Amen and the Men's Council of Ireland should launch a campaign to discourage men from getting married until the current anti-man family law regime is dismantled. - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL STEPHENS, Pineview Grove, Dublin 24.