Press Release, for immediate release
7 March 2011
Ireland’s leading human rights watchdog, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has welcomed fresh poll evidence of the positive attitudes towards same-sex marriage of the vast majority of Irish people.
The RedC poll for yesterday’s (6 March 2011) Sunday Times found that 73% of all people surveyed agreed that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, a figure which rose to 88% for voters aged between 18 and 24; 81% of people in that age group also considered that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt.
On the same day, the incoming Government pledged to consider “making provision for same sex marriage”, if necessary through Constitutional reform.
Reacting to these developments, ICCL Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“The tide has turned on this issue and the vast majority of Irish people are enthusiastic about reforming the law to grant full equality to same-sex couples. The political reform commitment on same-sex marriage in the Programme for Government should be translated into legal change at the earliest opportunity.”
“To continue to deny same-sex couples access to full civil marriage is a form of discrimination which has no rational basis”, Mr Kelly concluded.
ENDS.
For more information, please contact:
Walter Jayawardene
Communications Manager
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
9-13 Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel. + 353 1 799 4503
Mob: +353 87 9981574
Fax. + 353 1 799 4512
Note to editors:
The Red C poll, commissioned by the Sunday Times was reported in its pages on Sunday 6 March 2011 (‘Let Gays Marry’, Ciara Kenny, Sunday Times, 6 March 2011, pp 1, 3).
The newly-published Labour/ Fine Gael Programme for Government is available to view at http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/2011/coalition-pact/agreement.pdf
At page 18, the programme lists provision for same-sex marriage as an item for constitutional review.