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Home Page > News > Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern demands party members support gay rights bill

Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern demands party members support gay rights bill

By
Donal Thornton,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Friday, December 4, 2009, 10:12 AM
Updated Friday, December 4, 2009, 10:30 AM

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Dermot Ahern


Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern refused to allow party colleagues to abstain or vote against a new bill legalizing civil partnerships for gay couples.

He banned the so-called "freedom of conscience" clause for colleagues to defy the government and vote against the bill.

Ahern engaged in a debate with over 30 disgruntled parliamentary colleagues yesterday before the bill was introduced.

Sean Connick, chairman of Fianna Fail's Justice committee, organized the meeting and said that the members were split on the bill.

However, Ahern said the bill would "change the legal landscape" for gay and lesbian couples and added that the absence of such legalization promoted "prejudice and inequality" in our society.

The minister is adamantly opposed to a "freedom of conscience" amendment that would allow party members a free vote and not force them to vote with the government.

The new bill gives same sex couples greater rights and allows them to register their civil partnership. If the bill is passed, gay couples will be able to avail of social and tax benefits.

However, the legislation stops short of allowing same sex marriages. The legislation will also allow cohabitants to avail of benefits. This will apply to both same sex and opposite couples.

There been mixed reactions to the bill. Some believe it does not go far enough to solve inequality amongst gay groups.

The Students Union of Student of Ireland believes it further defines second class citizenship for gays in Ireland.

The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network welcomed the legislation, and said it would bring closure to the problems gay couples face by granting nearly all the rights that married couple receive.

The Equality Authority felt that the legislation fell short of full equality for gay couples and felt that the issues of guardianship, access and inheritance were looked over.

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6 Comments

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BishopSean | Jan 24, 2010, 03:48 PM EST
Scandanavia already learned that, upon legitiming gay marriage, young heterosexuals respected marriage less and most do not marry any longer. They live together instead, for the first time since their ancestors freely accepted Christianity. What does this mean for the children? Dutch statistics showed that most homosexual unions lasted on average 18 months, during which time each of the gay spouses had on average some 12 other lovers. I wonder what the Irish Government might now do for an encore? On what ethical grounds will they now object to poligamous unions--3 or more partners, for example? Or other kinds of unions, heterosxual or homosexual? They have started a legal process that can redefine marrriage out of existence. The immorality we tolerate will eventually control us.

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kickstar | Dec 06, 2009, 09:39 PM EST
This guy would be a wee bit of a Fascist me thinks, Didn't he bring in the law against blasphemy, Who told this guy we needed all these new Laws, Mr Ahern go somewhere else and give someone else the benefit of your Nation Building and stop destroying our Nation.

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jacersisityourself | Dec 05, 2009, 03:27 PM EST
(contd) Most of the people in the Rep of Ireland are Christians (Catholic, Protestant etc) and adhere to the teachings of their churches. Here is the Catholic Church’s official stance on homosexuality : 31 October 1986: "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." I agree with that. That means I object to homosexuals looking for the right to marriage which even if granted, they could never achieve – by that I mean Marriage was always about promulgation of the human species, which gays can never achieve together. I am however very much in favour of homosexuals being granted equal legal rights over a shared home and other property etc., if that’s how they choose to live in sharing and when the ‘divorce' comes, each to their own in fair rights. I think the Govt has the balance right in the proposed bill. I think it was disgraceful that some 20 TDs broke up the national budget talks.

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jacersisityourself | Dec 05, 2009, 03:24 PM EST
It is indeed a farcical situation in the Rep of Ireland when a Govt Minister tells elected TDs of his own party, to tow the party leaders’ line and not take on board the wishes of the people who elected the TDs. A TD is a Teachtaire Daile (Irish words for ‘Messenger to the Dail’) elected by constituents to represent their views in the Government Chambers. When you consider the furore that Fianna Fail TDs kicked up over the 12 days unpaid leave for Public Servants on Thursday, thus managing to scupper the national Govt-Trade Unions talks ahead of next week’s Budget, it all smacks of hypocrisy when the same party members are being denied the right to represent the views of the electorate that elected them. (more)

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kickstar | Dec 04, 2009, 04:12 PM EST
If every individual citizens Representative can not be heard or have his vote register his opinion how can you call the procedure Democratic, Surely everyone should be allowed to vote their conscience. If not then this is a dictatorship.

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andydonegal | Dec 04, 2009, 02:51 PM EST
Just right too! After all the Irish Government signed up to the Good Friday Agreement AND the Irish people voted to support it ... it's time to deliver the agreed terms and conditions and honour the promises made! You can NOT have 'selective equality' ... there's a constitutional obligation to pass FULL equality legislation and do it now! Simple as that!!!

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