The Irish rejected modernizing the concept of family in their Constitution, to extend it beyond that based on marriage, in a constitutional referendum held on Friday, the results of which were known this Saturday, March 9. The result of a parallel plebiscite on the role of women in society is not yet confirmed, but the Government, which asked for a 'yes' vote in both, acknowledged that the 'no' vote will also win.
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67.7% of Ireland's electorate, made up of 3.3 million people, voted against introducing an amendment to the Magna Carta that aspired to rewrite the idea of family, while the outcome of another parallel plebiscite on paper of women in society has not yet been confirmed, although the Government, which asked for the 'yes' in both, has recognized that the 'no' will also win.
The Government had supported the proposed changes, which would have expanded the definition of family and clarified women's 'duties' in society.
“I think it's clear at this point that the family amendment and the care amendment have been defeated,” Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said at a news conference in Dublin.
The votes are the latest attempt to reflect the changing face of European Union member Ireland and the waning influence of the once-dominant Catholic Church.
But by 12:00 (local time) it was clear that the count was trending toward “No” on the two questions about attendance and family.
67% of the electorate called to the polls marked the ballots against the proposal to expand the concept of family in the Irish Magna Carta. The “Yes” received approximately 32.3% of popular support.
Almost 3.5 million people had the right to vote. Varadkar said the referendums had been “handily defeated with a respectable turnout”.
“It was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote yes,” he said.
“I think it was difficult for us to convince people of the need for the referendumnot to mention detailing the wording (…) Obviously, it is something we will have to reflect on in the coming weeks and months.”
What was voted?
The two proposals – called the family amendment and the care amendment – sought to change the text of article 41 of the Irish Constitution, drafted in 1937.
The first asked citizens to expand the definition of family from those based on marriage to also include “long-term relationships,” such as cohabiting couples and their children.
The second proposed replacing the outdated language about “mother's duties in the home” with a clause that recognized the care that family members provide for each other.
Today, the Irish Constitution states that, “due to her role within the home, women provide the State with support without which the common good cannot be achieved”. The current text adds that authorities, “consequently, should strive to ensure that mothers are not forced by economic necessity to work (outside the home) and neglect their duties at home.”
Until the early 1970s, it was common for Irish women to leave their jobs after getting married, especially in the public sector, and although this practice has long since disappeared, the aforementioned clause hinders the progress of the fight for equality, According to the government.
The Constitution can only be modified by national referendum.
This country of 5.3 million people chose to end constitutional limits on same-sex marriage in 2015 and on abortion in 2018.
All major political parties had supported the “Yes-Yes” vote and until recently polls predicted a clean approval for both on International Women's Day.
But “no” supporters argued that the concept of a “long-term relationship” was undefined and confusing, and that women and mothers were being “written off” from the Constitution.
For their part, ultraconservative voices argued that the changes could constitutionally protect polygamous relationships and increase immigration through family reunifications of immigrants, all claims denied by the government.
The final results of both votes are expected late Saturday.
With AFP
Adapted from its English original
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