New Irish same sex marriage legislation TV3 Video

The Civil Partnerships Bill (2008) was presented to the Cabinet on 24 June 2009. It is expected to complete the parliamentary process by mid 2010 at the latest.

Although most LGBT advocacy groups cautiously welcomed the Government's legislation, there have been criticisms of the proposals. One major criticism states that the legislation effectively enshrines discrimination in law insofar as separate contractual arrangements with greater privileges will continue to exist for opposite-sex marriages concurrent to lesser arrangements for those wishing to take out Civil Partnerships. In particular, the denial of adoption rights to couples with a Civil Partnership has been cited as particularly discriminatory.

The bill will represent the culmination of detailed work between the parties of the governing coalition. With the entering into government of the Green Party with Fianna Fáil & the Progressive Democrats in June 2007, civil partnership legislation moved up the political agenda. On July 16, 2007, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said that "we will legislate for Civil Partnerships at the earliest possible date in the lifetime of this Government." Following a cabinet meeting on 30 October 2007, the government said it would introduce legislation by the end of March 2008 and expects the bill to pass within a year of that. As of the end of April, no legislation had been presented by the cabinet, though many speculated that this was due to the resignation of Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach over the same period.

The most recent survey, carried out in 2008, showed that 84% of Irish people supported civil marriage or civil partnerships for same-sex couples, with 58% (up from 51%) supporting full marriage rights in registry offices. The number who believe same-sex couples should only be allowed to have civil partnerships fell in the same period, from 33% to 26%

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Ireland
• Irish
• Homosexual
• Legislation
• Rights

[HildaBennett1]

hucant seem to find a guy who isnt a coward

[padraigomairtin]

It sickens me to see Gormley say that this is a great step forward for the gay community. It is anything but. Ireland has created a Jim Crow law. We have reestablished the principal of separate but equal which the civil rights movement in America successfully challenged in Brown V The Board of Education of Topeka in the late 50s. We now have two classes of Irish citizens. It is anything but equality.

[A00145773]

Does not go far enough. Gay Marraige will not be the end of the world as some people may think.

Let us get married if we meet the right person.