Madam, - I was bemused to read about the "demanding and painstaking" preparations for the forthcoming legislation on civil partnerships (The Irish Times, May 27th). The convoluted Bill, which is expected to run to over 200 pages, will result in arbitrary rights being assigned in every aspect of gay relationships except tax, which it is thought will be dumped into the Finance Bill.
Most confusingly, this Bill is being constructed in a period which has seen sustained majority public support for the extension of civil marriage to gay people. The most recent poll by Lansdowne Market Research, published in April 2008 and commissioned by MarriagEquality, showed that 58 per cent of people support civil marriage for same-sex couples.
The world-wide momentum similarly appears to be in favour of full equality for same-sex relationships, illustrated most recently by the introduction of same-sex civil marriage in California. Moves are now under way in Sweden to up-grade civil partnership legislation to full civil marriage. In January, 74.5 per cent of Spaniards voiced continued support for the right of same-sex couples to enter civil marriage.
The complexity of the proposed Bill is in sharp contrast to the simple proposal to amend the Civil Registration Act 2004. This could be achieved in 24 hours and would provide for the right of same-sex couples to marry each other. If the bill was referred to the Supreme Court, its choice then would be to reflect the view of the majority of Irish people and the elected representatives of the Dáil or to impose its own interpretation of marriage.
Marriage is an institution that is good for society and extending the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage to same-sex couples will only serve to strengthen society.
I believe it is time for the two main parties in the Dáil to catch up with their electorates. - Yours, etc,
MARK McCARRON, Leonards Court, Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8.