Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Ireland and gay marriage
The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has said that legislation is being written for civil partnerships for same-sex couples here in Ireland but that it will not mimic marriage exactly, as that would be unconstitutional.Mr McDowell said that the Republic is committed to recognising equality in the proposals, which will be enacted next year.
As of yesterday, same-sex couples can register their partnerships in the UK, including in the six counties.
Gay and Lesbian couples in the North will now have the same rights as married heterosexuals in terms of tax, pensions and state benefits.
I would class myself as quite a traditional person. I believe in traditional family values and make no apologies for that. I think it's a healthy way to be. Alot of you may recall a post I made some months back in which I explained my opposition to gay adoption. Some of you agreed with my position, some of you did not. That's OK as it's a controversial issue but I am a believer in the traditional family model and I'm not ashamed to say that. With all that being said though, I was quite shocked at the results of a Sky News Ireland poll on Monday where 51 per cent of the people who voted said they were against gay marriage.
I myself have no problem with gay marriage. I tend to take John Stuart Mill's 'Harm Principle' into account on this matter. As far as I'm concerned, what two consenting adults do with their lives is their business. It doesn't affect me. I don't believe it poses a danger to society so I'm surprised at the poll's results. I guess conservative values remain strong in Ireland. Sometimes that's good, sometimes that's bad. In this case, I think it's bad.
To quote the words of an American comedian speaking on the issue of gay marriage:
"Let the gays get married. Let them be as miserable as the rest of us."
Seems fair enough to me!
# posted by United Irelander @ 12:32 AM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
