Sir, – Now that the marriage equality referendum is over, would it be too much to ask that politicians and the media get back to real life and real issues? Referendums are a necessary part of our democracy but they can also serve as a convenient distraction from what are far more pressing concerns, such as the mortgage/repossession crisis, the homeless crisis and the crisis in the health service.
Marriages and families all over the country are under serious pressure because of these issues. Would it be too much to ask that both our politicians and our media start giving real leadership and that we begin to see real change in these areas, once and for all? – Yours, etc,
TIM BUCKLEY,
Cork.
Sir, – Now that the matter of equal rights for gay and lesbian couples has been settled decisively, is it too much to hope that our politicians might give some thought to the many thousands of others who continue to suffer discrimination under the same clause in Article 41 of the Constitution (The Family) that necessitated the referendum? The clause 41 3 1° requires the State to guard and protect “the institution of Marriage, on which the Family is founded”.
This appears to imply that many existing families have, at best, second-class status under the law, simply because these families are not “founded” on marriage. Families comprising cohabiting couples, single mothers, single fathers, orphaned children being raised by relatives or older siblings, unmarried foster parents, etc, do not seem to have the same constitutional protection as those involving married couples.
Notwithstanding the result of last Friday’s referendum, therefore, this unequal status will continue for a great many families unless and until this clause is amended to take into consideration the current wide diversity of family types. Most families still discriminated against in this way do not have well-financed, articulate organisations to lobby on their behalf and both sides in the recent referendum appear to have chosen to ignore their situation. Surely it is incumbent on us now to ensure equality for all families. – Yours, etc,
COLM O’SULLIVAN,
Cloghroe, Co Cork.
Sir, – Now that we have been inspired by the heroic love of many on the Yes side, can we equally be inspired by the heroic love of the many who voted No because of surrogacy concerns?
The right of a child to know both her parents, to know both of his parents, supersedes the right of an adult to be the single known biological parent of that child, in my opinion.
May I urge then those on the Yes side who shelved the surrogacy question and those on the No side who consistently raised it to get together and discuss this openly and fully and with great respect.
Furthermore, it will hopefully be possible for all of us to devote as much time and care and attention to this issue as we have done to our gay selves, our gay friends and our gay families. – Yours, etc,
SARAH O’HARA,
Dublin 7.