Sir, – John Murray (Opinion, July 3rd) argues that we should not consider re-defining marriage in the absence of evidence that children raised by same-sex couples fare as well as children raised by opposite-sex couples.
Leaving aside the debate on the relevant sociological evidence, this position is flawed for the simple reason that preventing same-sex couples from marrying does not prevent them from raising children.
We might as well pass a law preventing same-sex couples from driving, and seek to justify this by reference to evidence on optimal parenting arrangement. However, such a law would not prevent same-sex couples from raising children – it would just make their life more difficult where they do. The same can be said about preventing them from marrying. – Yours, etc,
Dr CONOR O’MAHONY,
Lecturer in Constitutional
Law,
University College Cork.