Sir, - Garret FitzGerald's column of September 23rd was timely in pointing out that the increased birth-rate since 1994 is wholly due to births outside marriage, which are now over half of all first pregnancies. The surprise is that the change has not gone further.
The Constitution pledges the State "to guard with special care the institution of marriage". Until about 1960 concrete advantages were given to marriage in many ways, by salary payments, tax concessions, social esteem. This structure has been progressively whittled away by governments and the "politically correct". Now there is even some financial discrimination against marriage. Specific instances are in welfare payments. First-time buyers' grants and the Succession Act. Both main political parties are involved.
Mr Ahern states that "the Government is committed to a families-first approach by putting the family at the centre of its policies." However, in spite of requests, he has defined neither "family" nor "first". His policy statement is doubly meaningless if we do not know the meaning of these key words. It is not even clear whether marriage is involved. The 640-page report "Strengthening Families for Life" is similarly short of clear definition.
The report contains a schedule of 16 items of "family legislation since 1989". Only one (the Family Law Act 1995) seems to strengthen the family. The rest are mostly to facilitate its break up.
At the altar couples swear a lifelong contract of sharing. Minutes later they register a contract with fundamentally conflicting terms, which is binding in law. The legal contract has no explanatory document and terms have been subject to arbitrary, retrospective changes. The situation is befuddled. The wonder is that any sensible people accept such a contract. They would be better advised to draw up a partnership agreement to suit their own intentions.
People seem to think that unregulated sex is wrong because some religions say so. This turns the argument upside down. Most religions endorse civil law because disorder in the family is anti-social, leading to injustice and hardship to marriage partners and children. - Yours, etc.,
Louis Smith, The Elms, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.