Minister Green said inserting a category of “permanent” relationships into the constitution would allow recognition of single-parent families, cohabiting couples and their children.
He made the comments as the Green Party launched a campaign to get a Yes vote in a referendum scheduled for next month.
Two referendums on changes to Ireland’s constitution will be held on March 8th.
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The first referendum is on whether the constitution should be amended to expand the definition of family beyond just those based on marriage to also include “permanent” relationships.
The second concerns whether references to women’s roles and duties in the home should be removed and replaced with new provisions on care provision.
Speaking at a launch in Dublin, Mr O’Gorman said section 41 of the Irish Constitution currently excludes tens of thousands of families from the protection of family recognition.
“At this point, the values set forth in Article 41 of the Constitution do not meet the values of the nation,” he added.
“This law prescribes or prescribes a very limited role for women in terms of their life within the household and the neglect of maternal duties within the household.
“It is not enough to impose a duty on the state to support care within the family. With a yes vote on March 8, we have the opportunity to change that and ensure that the Constitution upholds our values.” I had the opportunity to reflect on this today. “
He said it was important to recognize non-marital families.
“For too long unmarried families have been marginalized in Ireland, and we know this has been the case throughout the history of this country,” he added.
“Creating this category of lasting relationships also allows recognition of single-parent families, as well as recognition of cohabiting couples and their children.
“But importantly, our changes do not alter the special recognition that marriage has in our Constitution, or the unique recognition of the state’s ability to distinguish married families from other families. That means no.”
Mr O’Gorman also said he accepted that an immediate referendum change would not necessarily be “clearly obvious”, but said it would provide the same protections afforded to the couple’s families.
“There are certain protections for the marriage family, there are protections regarding internal decision-making, and at the moment those legal protections are only available to the marriage family,” the Children’s Minister added.
“This change would allow families such as cohabiting couples and single-parent families to be accommodated. On the long-term care side, it would place new obligations on the state to allow caregiving within families.”
He said he would bind this and future governments to ensure support and support levels for carers are expanded.
“It will have to do with cabinet decisions, it will have to do with budget negotiations, and ultimately it will have to do with the appeals of individuals and people of Ireland who feel that the government of the day is not doing enough. , which will be interpreted by the Supreme Court,’ filing a lawsuit to support their care,” O’Gorman said.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the court would consider the meaning of “shall”, part of the proposed changes to the wording of the constitution.
Ryan said: “The Constitution sets our values and provides guidelines for the courts to apply. What does ‘shall endeavor’ mean?”
“It has to be tested. The old ‘commit to support’ language has been tested over the past 80 years and hasn’t really changed much.
“So my contention is that the stronger language we express gives us a real opportunity to see those values implemented in actual decision-making.
“The Constitution cannot write the budget, and the Constitution cannot write the laws.
“You don’t want to do that, and it won’t work. That’s something that will have to be tested over time in the courts, while interpreting what the Irish people meant by voting on March 8th.” It should be.”
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