Taoiseach urges Yes vote: The Taoiseach has called again for a Yes vote in the citizenship referendum, saying this will bring Ireland into line with every other European state.
In a statement yesterday Mr Ahern said that every other European state decided who was entitled to citizenship, and there was no other state where birth made that right automatic.
"In this referendum the Government is asking the people to decide that Ireland should do likewise," he said.
Because the Republic was unique in the EU in granting an automatic right to citizenship at birth, there was clearly a "pull" factor towards Ireland, he went on.
"Women are prepared to travel to Ireland in the late stages of pregnancy to get around the immigration provisions of our partners in the new enlarged Europe, as well as Ireland.
"They are prepared to travel here to give birth even though they have no relationship with our country, and indeed may not even wish to live here." He said this undermined Irish citizenship, a point illustrated by the recent Chen case at the European Court of Justice. He said Ms Chen, as a Chinese national, was advised to travel to Belfast to give birth there so that her child would automatically acquire Irish and EU citizenship.
The purpose was to facilitate her in subsequently claiming residency rights in the United Kingdom.
He said the Government's "modest and sensible proposal" was designed to address an existing loophole in our laws.
"I want to emphasise that Ireland is, and wants to remain, an open and a welcoming society. The proposed constitutional amendment will, if passed by the people, allow the Government to enact legislation that will ensure that Ireland continues to have a liberal and welcoming policy towards non-nationals who wish to come to work and live in Ireland."
If the referendum was passed, legislation would provide for citizenship to the Irish-born child of non-nationals if just one of the parents had been legally resident in Ireland for three of the previous four years, he said.
"I ask that the Irish people vote Yes to protect the integrity of our citizenship. This referendum has nothing to do with race. It is about residency. It will not change the rights of Irish citizens or their children.
"It in no way affects the human rights of any person who is resident in Ireland. It is a commonsense, limited change to protect Irish citizenship for the future."