The No Side
The Iona Institute
David Quinn of the Iona Institute, which promotes the place of marriage and religion in society, said they would be recommending a No vote to its supporters in both referendums.
Their position: “We believe there is too much doubt about the meaning of ‘durable relationships’ in the case of the family referendum. With respect to the referendum on carers, we believe the aspiration to protect a mother from being forced out to work due to economic circumstances is still a good one and should be retained. Minister O’Gorman is correct to say a woman’s place is wherever she wants it to be, but the point is that a lot of mothers who would like to be at home with their children cannot do so because of economic pressures on them.”
Aontú
The party does not intend to spend any money, print any posters or leaflets or canvass for the referendums. But a spokesman for party leader Peadar Tóibín said the party has adopted a No position and that Mr Tóibín would be featuring on media debates on the issue.
Their position: “At the meeting of Aontú's Ard Comhairle this week it was broadly accepted that some of the current wording of these parts of our Constitution is archaic. Aontú would have supported a change to the wording of the Constitution, but we cannot support these changes. The Government’s amendments are exceptionally poorly written. The language in these amendments is unclear, confused and offers no material help or rights to families or carers,” Mr Tóibín said.
Family Solidarity
Family Solidarity is a Conservative group which was established following the 1983 referendum to introduce the Eighth Amendment, which banned abortion. The group campaigned for a Yes vote in order to place an equal right to life for the unborn and the mother. The Eighth Amendment was repealed in 2018. The group campaigned against the 1986 referendum to remove the ban on divorce.
Their position: “The two proposals have far-reaching and detrimental consequences for the fabric of Irish society. The redefinition of the family risks diluting the time-honoured values that have long been the cornerstone of our communities, and the removal of specific acknowledgments and protections of women’s roles in the home undermines the dignity and value of their contribution,” a spokesman said.
The Irish Women’s Lobby
The Irish Women’s Lobby, a relatively new feminist group, says they are an “alternative voice for the many women denied political and media representation”.
Their position: Spokeswoman Helen Duignan said the group believes that “neither amendment is in anyone’s interests, but particularly not those of mothers and carers, who are predominantly women. Both amendments were rushed through the Houses of the Oireachtas with no pre-legislative scrutiny and were not even in line with the views of the Citizens’ Assembly and the Oireachtas Committee. Nowhere in the Constitution is it written that a woman’s place is in the home, as has been claimed by prominent NGOs and many in the media.”
The Countess
The Countess describes itself as a “grassroots campaigning organisation that advocates for women, children and LGB young people”. Their spokeswoman, Laoise de Brún, said that the Government and NGOs “are clamouring to convince us that it’s the wording of Article 41.2 that causes the inequality in households. Firstly, this is both incoherent and lazy, like so much policy nowadays, whereby the tricky work of tackling structural inequality is ignored in favour of moving around the deckchairs and, most importantly of all for this Government, virtue signalling. Holding the referendums on International Women’s Day is a masterclass in callow cynicism.”
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