Pro-family campaigners have warned that a proposed referendum to amend the Constitution would be a “further downgrading of the importance of marriage to society”.
The Government announced on Tuesday that it intended to ask the people to amend Article 41 of the Constitution to provide for a wider concept of Family; and delete Article 41.2 of the Constitution to remove text on the role of women in the home, and recognise family care.
A spokesman for The Iona Institute said that while they needed to study the wording before giving a full reaction, “our initial response is that we would see the rewording of the section on the family to include relationships other than marriage as a further downgrading of the importance of marriage to society, indicating that the State does not see any special value in the institution of marriage”.
They also pointed out that “the proposed replacement to the section on mothers in the home, no longer mentions the home at all.
This seems highly significant. Why not mention the home? The Government could make the language in this section gender-neutral but still give special mention to the home and its value to people”.
The so-called family amendment proposes to describe the family as “founded on marriage or on other durable relationships”.