Irish voters are heading to the polls on International Women’s Day on Friday to remove the words “woman” and “mother” from the constitution.
A bill that would broadly expand the definition of “family” is also on the ballot.
Two amendments are on the ballot: Article 39 on the family and Article 40 on the role of women/mothers in society.
Article 39 would redefine the family as a group “based on marriage,” as it currently stands in the Constitution, or a group “based on other permanent relationships.”
Supporters of the changes say the current language excludes single-parent households and unmarried households.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said: “The relationship that exists between a child and his or her mother or father at the time of birth is what defines a single-parent family.” “Dedicated, caring and long-lasting.”
However, the inclusion of ambiguous language such as “enduring relationship” causes further confusion.
No one, neither voters nor politicians, seems to have a clear definition of this term.
As in the United States, Irish jurisprudence is characterized by unenumerated rights.
Some Irish politicians refuse to rule out Irish courts recognizing polygamy as a family.
Some have even hinted that bigamous relationships could constitute a family under the proposed changes.
In Ireland in 2024, under Article 40 of the Constitution, bigamy could be “inalienable and inalienable” and “priority to all positive law”.
Irish senator Ronan Mullen described the language as a “constitutional novelty”.
Irish government minister Roderick O’Gorman argued that polygamy would not be recognized under the new reforms because it does not constitute a “moral system under Irish law”, but added: “Ultimately the courts can decide on individual cases. ” he also said.
Irish Justice Marie Baker elaborated that a “lasting relationship” could mean a couple receiving a single Christmas card or a wedding invitation.
The changes could even affect immigration levels in Ireland, which have soared in recent months.
Irish Minister Neil Richmond said the changes would have “significant consequences” for Ireland’s “immigration laws and proving that someone is a family member”.
Large-scale chain migration will continue as migrant families who have settled in Ireland may unite with relatives, claiming that their relationships are permanent and meet the criteria for family reunification.
Indeed, immigrants who have entered into unorthodox marriages outside Ireland may also request that their relationships be accorded family status.
With immigration rising as the biggest concern facing Irish voters, the problem will only get worse if the referendum passes.
Voting on International Women’s Day provides the pretense that the change will somehow benefit women.
The most difficult point is Article 41, Section 2 of the Constitution. . . Try to ensure that mothers are not forced to neglect their domestic duties and engage in labor out of economic necessity. ”
The previous section states that “the state recognizes that women provide support to the state through their domestic lives, without which the common good cannot be achieved.”
The article has been described as “sexist and clichéd” by several Irish activist groups, who say it is confining women to the home.
As a result, the discourse of “domestic women” has expanded, with some suggesting that the repeal of this clause would be a victory for feminism.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
This article provides a safety net for mothers who feel forced to work part-time outside the home due to financial circumstances, and is in many ways very progressive as it stands.
This section was used to amend income tax laws that were previously discriminatory against mothers.
Modern business organizations abhor single-income households, and feminists are now rallying to abolish economic protections for women.
In Ireland, over 90% of housewives are women.
Polls show that the majority of women want their children to stay at home during their formative years.
The Constitution simply recognizes the reality for many families.
The idea of confining women to their homes is complete nonsense.
Ireland has already had two female presidents and has a female workforce participation rate of almost 60%.
But even as Ireland seeks to legislate so-called misinformation under strict hate speech legislation, several politicians, including the prime minister, have repeated misinformation about “women in the home”.
This is not the first time the Irish government has tried to remove the word “woman”.
Back in 2020, the Irish government-run Health Department caused a controversy by replacing “women” with “people with a cervix” in a pamphlet on cervical cancer screening information.
The referendum will only continue the trend of undermining women in the name of progressivism.
Polls suggest the vote will pass without a problem.
However, recent concerns about the proposed changes may adversely affect efforts to revise the proposed amendments.
This is a monumental change in liberal democracy.
How long will it be before a fundamental redefinition of the family, or a complete disregard for the role of mothers in their children’s lives, spreads to other Western democracies such as the United States?
Theo McDonald is based in Dublin and writes about economic and social issues.
