Irish vote No for change to ‘family’
DUBLIN: A dual referendum in Ireland on redefining family and women’s roles in the constitution was “comprehensively” defeated on the weekend.
The result came despite the government, and most opposition parties, had supported the proposed changes.
The reforms had intended to widen the definition of the family and clarify language about the duties of women in society that was considered outdated. The change proposed expanding the definition of family from those founded on marriage to also include “durable relationships” such as cohabiting couples and their children.
Referendum Ireland said 67.69 per cent of 1.021 million voters rejected the change.
The vote on care had aimed to replace old-fashioned language around a mother’s “duties in the home” with a clause recognising care provided by family members to one another. That was rejected by 73.9 per cent of voters.
“No” campaigners argued the concept of “durable relationship” was undefined and confusing and that women and mothers are being “cancelled” from the constitution.
All the major political parties had supported a “Yes-Yes” vote and polls had suggested a smooth passage for both.
The votes were seen as the latest attempt to reflect modern Ireland and the waning influence of the Catholic Church.
Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said the referendums had been “defeated comprehensively”.
“I think we struggled to convince people of the necessity or need for the referendum at all, let alone detail the wording,” the Irish leader conceded.
Peadar Toibin, the leader of the only parliamentary party to back a “No-No” vote, the conservative Aontu party, welcomed the result as “a significant victory”.
The government “sold these amendments as if they were progressive and kind of virtuesignalling changes to the Constitution”, he said.