The Referendum on the Definition of Family
Oireachtas members join call for publication of wording for the upcoming equality referendum
Press Release, 27th September 2023
Former Committee Chair, Ivana Bacik TD, and members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality today (Wednesday, 27th September 2023) joined five civil society organisations outside Leinster House to call for the publication of the wording for the upcoming equality referendum in line with the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee Report. The five organsiations included the National Women’s Council (NWC), Treoir, One Family, Family Carers Ireland and SIPTU.
Damien Peelo, Treoir said,
“We all know that family is much broader than just legal or biological relationships. When we talk about family we’re talking about love, care, and the relationships between people. Today, Ireland’s family life is increasingly diverse. The number of children born outside of marriage is rising, with 43% registered in 2022.
The upcoming referendum is our chance to reflect this reality of family life in our Constitution and recognize all family types equally, including but not limited to the family based on marriage.
All families, including the ones with children in them, need recognition, support, and protection by our Constitution. We are calling on the Government to publish the wording for the upcoming equality referendum without further delay.”
We’ll continue to keep you posted on any updates we have on this campaign but if you have any questions, please do let me know at sinead@treoir.ie
About Treoir
Treoir’s Key Values:
We provide a free, confidential, specialist information service for parents not married to each other, living together or apart, their extended families, and those working with them. Information is available on Legal, Social Welfare, and Parenting issues.
- We help parents who are not married to each other better understand complex family law issues, specifically access and custody, maintenance and guardianship, we also promote shared parenting and provide parenting tips to help parents develop good parenting relationships.
- We believe children born to unmarried parents should have the same rights as those born to married parents.
- We believe that children have a right to be loved and cared for by both parents, where possible.
- We advocate for changes in the constitution to ensure that that all parents have the same rights regardless of their marital status or gender.
- We develop policies to influence and advance the reform of the Family Law system.
- We campaign for a systematic review of how public services and social welfare is delivered to reflect the changing family structures of the 21st century.
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Oireachtas members join call for publication of wording for the upcoming equality referendum: Equality Coalition
Oireachtas members join call for publication of wording for the upcoming equality referendum Press Release, 27th September 2023 Former Committee Chair, Ivana Bacik TD, and members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality today (Wednesday, 27th September 2023) joined five civil society organisations outside Leinster House to call for...
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