The Irish will vote for two referenda on Friday. They can give their opinion on adjustments to the constitution to make more room for different types of families and on a passage on the position of women. Supporters of the adjustments believe that the current text is outdated.
The so-called Family Amendment concerns an article in the constitution that states that a family is based on marriage. The proposal is to write in the law that the family is based on ‘marriage or other lasting relationships’. There are also families without marriage, including single-parent families, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar previously noted.
The Healthcare Amendment concerns a formulation that, according to opponents, undermines the position of women. According to the Constitution, women play a crucial role in Irish society ‘through her life in the home’. Therefore, the state should also make an effort to prevent ‘mothers from being forced to work by economic necessity and therefore from neglecting their duties at home’. Instead, there should be a text in which all family members and their mutual ties are important.
The two amendments will be voted on separately. If a majority votes in favor, the constitution will be amended. At the beginning of December it was announced that the referendum would take place on this Friday, International Women’s Day.
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