Referendum on same-sex marriage could split Ireland 'irreparably,' journalists argue

May 08, 2015

An influential Irish journalist has accused Prime Minister Enda Kenny of conducting a “reckless and ill-though out” campaign for approval of a referendum that would allow for legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The referendum “runs the risk of splitting the country irreparably,” said Bruce Arnold in an open letter to Kenny. He said:

If the referendum is carried, I see this as irreparably damaging to moral life in this country, to married life and the future of the family, and leading to the encroachment of wildly inappropriate approaches to the birth and development of children.

Arnold went on to charge that Kenny’s government is pushing for approval of the referendum without allowing for any serious discussion of the question: “Ministers are hailing the Yes Vote while at the same time refusing to say why and how it is appropriate. They are not answering any of the questions being put to them. Largely this is because they do not know the answers.”

In another column arguing against approval of the referendum, journalist David Quinn said that if same-sex marriage is allowed, the government might cut off funding for a Catholic marriage-counseling agency, since the agency does not serve homosexual couples. Quinn also observed that although a bill currently under discussion to legalize same-sex marriage would guarantee that priests were not required to solemnize homosexual unions, that guarantee could be rescinded “virtually overnight.”

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Ireland’s same-sex marriage referendum: ‘one-sided, reckless and divisive’ (Conjugality)
• Government refuses to respect 'No' side in marriage debate (Independent)