The Catholic church has cautioned against a “Yes” vote in both of next month’s constitutional referendums.
In a statement issued today by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the church warned that voting Yes in the March referendums would undermine the institution of marriage.
On March 8, two simultaneous plebiscites will be held, which will invite the Irish public to decide whether they wish to amend two articles of the constitution concerning the family and the concept of care. The government is advocating for a Yes-Yes vote.
“The proposed family amendment to the constitution diminishes the unique importance of the relationship between marriage and family in the eyes of society and state, and is likely to lead to a weakening of the incentive for young people to marry,” a spokesman for the bishops’ conference said.
If passed, the proposed amendment to article 41.1.1 of the constitution would result in the deletion of the statement that the family is founded on marriage and the insertion of the statement that the family can be “founded on marriage or on other durable relationships”.
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If a Yes vote is successfully carried in the care referendum, a new article will be inserted into the constitution pledging the state to support the provision of care “by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them” and remove references to women in the home and mothers.
“The care amendment would have the effect of abolishing all reference to motherhood in the constitution and leave unacknowledged the particular and incalculable societal contribution that mothers in the home have made and continue to make in Ireland,” the spokesman said.
