Irish voters, in referenda, rout anti-family amendments
March 11, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: In a stunning rebuke to their ruling government, the people of Ireland sent two proposed constitutional amendments down to decisive defeats in referenda on March 8.
The two proposed amendments, which were heavily promoted by the government of Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, would have removed a passage in the country’s constitution that commits the government to supporting women’s work in the home, and changed a passage on marriage to include “other durable relationships.”
By an overwhelming 74 to 26%, the voters chose to retain the constitutional plank that says: “the State shall, therefore, endeavor to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.” The result roughly matches a pre-referendum poll that found 69% of mothers with young children would prefer to stay at home if possible.
By slightly more than a two-thirds majority, the voters also chose to retain the constitution’s reference to marriage as “the natural primary and fundamental unit group of society.” The proposed amendment would have expanded the definition of “family” to include “other durable relationships.”
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