Enda shows leadership over the referendum
LISTENING to our Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, being interviewed about Marriage Equality on Drivetime, I was astonished to note that for the second time during his leadership he actually spoke with one tongue instead of his usual ‘Forked Tongue’.
The first time that I noted this was when he spoke out about the Catholic Church’s attempts at cover-ups on child sex abuse.
I would like to congratulate him on his stance and would hope that those who feel they cannot say yes to equal rights for all people will reconsider. I will be voting Yes. OLIVE GRAY-POWER,
Ballina, Co. Mayo.
Why I am voting Yes
FOR the first 14 years of my life I was in orphanages in Clifden and Letterfrack in Galway.
I was three weeks old when I was sent to Clifden by the courts. People looked up to the nuns but either had no idea what went on or didn’t care. To say people left the orphanage scarred for life would be an understatement.
I was put there because I was unwanted and that was reinforced every day for ten years. The beatings and humiliation day after day convinced me that I was absolutely worthless. I used to pray for my life to end even though I was just ten years old. After all, I was worthless and unwanted.
I was sent to Letterfrack when I was ten years and eight months and spent the next three and a half in the clutches of sadistic Christian Brothers.
This brings me back to the referendum and why I will vote Yes.
It’s about children, say the No side – even though it has nothing to do with children. Even if it was, I would rather have spent my young years in a loving home with people that wanted me, who made me feel valued irrespective of their sexuality. I would have traded for that in a heartbeat.
To say that a child needs a mother and a father is good but reality is very different.
A child needs security, love and happiness which they can get from a mother and father, a single mother or father, grandparents, or a gay couple, and that is the most important thing ever.
If we value the safety and security of children then we do what is in the best interests of the child.
Personally, if I had the choice of nuns, Christian Brothers, a single parent or a gay couple the single parent or gay couple would top my list. That’s why I will vote Yes because the No campaign say its about children and given the above where would you rather your child be raised.
DAVID KEOGH, via email.
Referendum chaos
I WAS watching the Claire Byrne Show about the debate on the referendum on same sex marriage and I feel it’s getting to be a farce.
We had the horrible audience who clapped at a blink: each time there was a break from someone speaking there came the applause.
The debate wasn’t monitored until the very end when Simon Coveney tried to overrun. He lost the debate when he personally attacked Senator Rónán Mullen. Now we have personalities coming out and trying to bully people to vote Yes.
I always believed the people’s decision was between the ballot box and themselves.
I can’t i magine the chaos if this were to happen in a general election where we would have politicians pleading with people to vote for them in the way Simon Coveney was actually pleading for a Yes vote. ANGELA MASSEY,
via email.
Look at Massachusetts
IN light of the recent statement by Enda Kenny that he would expect all schools, regardless of their ethos, to teach children about same sex marriage, or the fact that a prominent Irish gay group (LGBT Noise) has said that children in crèches should be taught about gay relationships, should we be worried?
Judging by what happened in Massachusetts after same sex marriage was introduced there in 2003 I think that we should be very worried indeed?
A Massachusetts parent, Brian Camenker, has written a report on the impact its introduction has had on the schools his children attend, and indeed on all State schools.
LGBT celebration days are now commonplace in schools across the state, homosexuality is being taught in schools, kindergartners are being given books on same, libraries are stocked, courtesy of the taxpayer, with books normalising gay behaviour, speakers are being invited into schools to indoctrinate children and the most frightening thing of all is that parents have no say.
I think we should be very worried indeed for our children and our grandchildren.
The claim that most of our children’s organisations are supporting a Yes vote in the coming referendum carries no weight at all. MARY GALLAGHER,
via email.
Hospitals need help
REGARDING recent reports dealing with medical negligence claims against hospitals and the concerns over locum staff who necessitated the recall of X-rays and scans in a number of hospitals.
I believe the HSE must now prioritise the recruitment of hospital consultants and fill the vacancies which presently exist or which are occupied by locum consultants.
In January 2015, it was confirmed in a reply I received at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that there are 325 consultant posts vacant or occupied by locum consultants out of a total of 2,314 posts (excluding consultant posts in psychiatry). This represents a 14 per cent vacancy rate in senior positions within the health service.
The Hanly Report 2003 recommended that by 2012 there should be 3,600 medical consultants in our hospital system. Little progress has been made in achieving this target.
The use of locums and agency staff leads to lack of continuity in patient care. Aside from the recent concerns about quality, locum staff are far more expensive than what the health system would be paying permanent staff in similar roles.
It is in the best interests of the health service, the patients and the people of this country that the recruitment of consultants would be given the priority it deserves. SENATOR COLM BURKE, Leinster House, Dublin 2.