Sir, – I was the first honorary secretary of the Divorce Action Group, which was founded 35 years ago to fight for the introduction of divorce in Ireland. As I well remember, there were the expected voices of opposition from the usual sources and virulent opposition from others who undertook the task of being the nation’s conscience. In fact, some of them are still playing out that role. It was said that the Divorce Action Group was the “worst thing since Cromwell” and “future generations” had to be protected from divorce. Of course, it transpired that their fears were unfounded and their arguments exaggerated or misleading. It seems clear that society is well capable of adjusting the law to suit the way we live. I’m going to vote Yes for tolerance and freedom of thought. – Yours, etc,
JOHN O’CONNOR,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Must equal necessarily mean identical? – Yours, etc,
DAVID WALSH ,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Bono, Daniel O’Donnell, Bob Geldof, Colin Farrell and various other worthies inform us they are to vote Yes in the referendum. They have joined a long list of celebrities as well as fictional and cartoon characters. I now wait to see when Paul the Octopus is going to show his hand, in a manner of speaking. – Yours, etc,
MARGARET HICKEY,
Blarney,
Co Cork.
Sir, – Regarding the letter (May 16th) signed by 76 prominent persons who support same-sex marriage, it is a matter of indifference to this writer how many such persons intend to vote Yes on May 22nd. I will not support a concept that makes absolutely no sense to me, irrespective of how many of the "great and the good" support it and what ideological label is attached to it. – Yours, etc,
HUGH GIBNEY,
Athboy,
Co Meath.
Sir, – The “celebrity” signatories simply state that they support a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum. The brazen effrontery of people who believe that others will be persuaded by the mere sight of well-known names will drive thousands of hitherto neutrals into registering an emphatic No. – Yours, etc,
JOHN BURTON,
Glengarriff, Co Cork.
Sir, – Parents, guardians and teachers tell children to play with everybody. “Don’t leave him out” or “ask her to play with you” are common decrees. In short, include everybody. Now, it is time for us, as adults, to include everybody. Because if a No vote is passed, a huge section of Irish society will continue to be excluded. We need to practise what we preach. – Yours, etc,
CHRIS CALLAGHAN,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – It’s not about family, but about the relationship between adults; yet it’s in the section of the Constitution entitled “The Family”. It’s not about changing the understanding of family, yet it will entail schools having to change what they teach about family. Given the deeply ambivalent noises emanating from Government and elsewhere, the very least that prudent citizenship would indicate is that the proposed referendum should be rejected pending clarity. – Yours, etc,
Rev CHRIS HAYDEN,
Carnew,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – The prospect of a rejection of the marriage amendment raises familiar and age-old fears of discrimination, misery, rejection, prejudice and depression associated with being gay in Ireland. Equality and love must triumph or we are all lost. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK O’BYRNE,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – In 1983 the people of Ireland voted in the Eighth Amendment by two to one to prohibit abortion. Nobody at the time foresaw that the Supreme Court would interpret this amendment to compel the Oireachtas to actually permit abortion. Similarly, it cannot be predicted how a future Supreme Court will interpret the marriage equality amendment, if it is passed, in relation to annulment, the right to start a family, surrogacy, etc, etc. How on earth can Mr Justice Cross prophesy what any court may decide in the future? It is disingenuous of the Yes side to assert that nothing will change if this referendum is passed, other than same-sex couples may marry. – Yours, etc,
THOMAS HAYES,
Clonakilty,
Co Cork.
A chara, – The debates on these pages have reaffirmed for me the dignity, eloquence and humour of our nation. As a no-question-about-it Yes supporter, they have helped me understand that the prospect of change to a cherished institution is making many decent people feel afraid. I always hoped that the referendum would pass, but I now also hope that the realisation that these fears were unfounded comes quickly to those considering voting No. – Is mise,
LIZ CAROLAN,
London.
A chara, – "Some families have a Mom and a Dad, and some families have two moms and two dads but what is most important is that a family is a place where there is love." Finally, something on which I can agree with Breda O'Brien ("Think about intolerance of thought police before you vote", Opinion & Analysis, May 16th). – Is mise,
CARMEL GRAY,
Baile Átha Cliath 9.
Sir, – Some legal commentators suggest that the No side is labouring under a mistaken belief that there is a constitutional right to donor conception and surrogacy. Some clarification is needed.
In Murray v Ireland, the Supreme Court recognised that all married people have a constitutional right to procreate, that right "being essential to the human condition and personal dignity". The court was not, and has not been, called upon to explore the full meaning and extent of this right. What we can say is that the court has not excluded the possibility that the right to procreate might encompass procreation through assisted human reproduction. This possibility is implicit in the judgment of Judge Denham (now the Chief Justice) in the Roche v Roche case. The ability to exercise their right to procreate in the Murray case was only "limited" in the sense that it was suspended by reason of their incarceration while serving prison sentences.
If the referendum is passed, same-sex married couples will have a constitutionally protected right to procreate. This would strengthen significantly their claims for access to the means by which they could realise this right, ie donor-assisted reproduction and surrogacy. Passing this referendum would therefore weaken the position of any government that wished to do as many of our European neighbours and limit or prohibit these reproductive technologies. It is entirely legitimate, therefore, that the No side highlights the link between this referendum and assisted reproduction, including surrogacy. – Yours, etc,
LOUISE DORIS,
Cabra,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – On Friday the Irish people are being asked to vote on an amendment to the Constitution.
The wording is a model of clarity. Those of us who cut our political teeth in the 1980s can only admire the skill with which the Government has managed to secure a rare degree of cross-party support for a measure which, if accepted, will grant full constitutional equality to gay and lesbian citizens.
That unanimity is rooted in the work of the constitutional convention and the response of the convention to the proposition that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry.
I have always found the concept of a two-tier system of justice abhorrent and was a strong supporter of civil partnership as a step on a longer journey.
The speed of the transformation in social attitudes has been phenomenal. In recent months I have been genuinely moved by the cross-community support for civil marriage equality.
As a long-time politician, I am familiar with the robust manner of political campaigns but I am well aware that many gay and lesbian people have found the tone of some of the No campaign offensive. Also single parents, widows and widowers and many other parents in different family settings have found their lives under scrutiny and have been upset by the ease at which the value of their relationships has been set aside. I can empathise with this upset personally as my own father died when I was four, leaving my mother with six children to rear as a “single parent” which she did with great care, devotion and dedication.
It is easy to forget that the equality provisions of the Constitution did not prevent generations of Irish women from being treated as second-class citizens. Women were regarded as chattels of their husbands and were powerless to change their name on a bank account or take out a loan without their husband’s consent.
What father would tolerate a situation nowadays where his independent daughter – bright, responsible and intelligent – would require her husband’s permission to open a bank account?
What proud father would not want the opportunity to witness his daughter making a loving lifelong commitment to her partner in the presence of family and friends in the recognised and valued form of civil marriage?
With pride I am voting Yes on Friday. – Yours, etc,
NORA OWEN,
Malahide,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Walking to work this morning past all of the No posters I was struck by the thought that voting No means the retention and strengthening of patriarchy. Voting Yes will mean a significant disruption to this damaging and harmful social construct. No wonder there is fear and concern over this, it has been the norm for many hundreds of years now. Yet one must ask what favours patriarchy bestows on either women or men, girls or boys?
Patriarchy does not value care, connection, collaboration or love. It views women as of lesser value, as sexual objects to be controlled and confined. It oppresses women and men, girls and boys and denies the human capacity to flourish in relationship with others.
Voting Yes for same-sex marriage means a deconstruction of patriarchy. It offers hope for the future; it means that girls and boys can grow up in a society that values all of its people. An equal society that values and nourishes care and connection, where girls and boys, gay or straight, can be free to live fully. A society where, when they look around them, children can see a rich diversity of families, not a hierarchy where one is valued and promoted over others. A society where young women and men can choose the type of loving relationships they want to make, knowing that we the people of Ireland have proudly voted Yes and where they are secure in the knowledge that their relationships are constitutionally recognised. What a glorious endeavour! Vote Yes. – Yours, etc,
ANN HEGARTY,
Rathgar,
Dublin 6.
A chara, – As the political system and the opinion poll industry agonise over the outcome of the same-sex marriage referendum, it is terribly important that on the day we all go out to vote. For those of us who live in the liberal constituency of Dún Laoghaire and are practically assured of a large Yes majority here, it is worth remembering that our votes are counted nationally and not constituency by constituency. It would be disastrous for the Yes side if any of those potential Yes voters became complacent just listening to the political commentators, presumed a local majority and stayed at home. Every vote counts and is counted; whether urban or rural, no slippage on the day, please. – Is mise,
NIAMH BHREATHNACH,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.