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LAST UPDATE | 8 Mar 2023
THE GOVERNMENT HAVE announced that referendums on issues relating to gender equality are to take place this November.
In particular, the referendum would focus on amendments to Article 41 of the Constitution, which contains references to ‘women’s life in the home’.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that the Government intended to hold the referendum later this year, following recommendations from both the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality and a special Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality.
Speaking outside Government Buildings, Varadkar said that while the Constitution had served the Irish State well, it did need to be brought up to modern standards.
“86 years in existence, Bunreacht na hEireann has served us well, but it needs to be modernised,” Varadkar told reporters.
“The Constitution serves to protect rights and freedoms and its principles have a profound effect on the State and citizens and the power of the Oireachtas to legislate.
While predominantly positive, the Constitution is not truly reflective of the modern Ireland we all know today.”
He added that discriminatory language and language that “perpetuates gender stereotypes” does not belong in the Constitution.
He added that the referendum would “enshrine gender equality” within the Constitution.
Varadkar told the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party this evening that changing the constitution is never easy and referendums have been lost in the past due to lack of planning.
Party colleagues heard a lot of work has to be done between now and November to ensure the wording is right and a decision made on whether enabling legislation is necessary.
The National Women’s Council has welcomed the Government’s announcement this morning, saying that if passed, it would be a “significant change”.
“This is a timely and significant announcement for women, for families, and for gender equality,” said Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council.
“It‘s a unifying proposal which, if passed, would replace the outdated, limited role for women with a recognition of the value of care, both in the home and in the community. It would bring a new legal definition of the family which would match the reality for one-parent families and all diverse families.”
The Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality recommended in June 2021 that two Articles of the Constitution be amended: Articles 40 and 41.
Article 40.1 currently states that “all citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law”, with the Citizens’ Assembly calling for the passage to be amended to explicitly refer to gender equality.
The Citizens’ Assembly also recommended amending Article 41, which recognises families as a fundamental and primary group of Irish society.
It was recommended that this article be amended to continue to place protections on family life, but that protections should not be limited to the marital family.
Recommendations were also made for Article 41.2 of the Constitution, which currently reads:
“In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.”
The Citizens’ Assembly has called for it to be deleted and replaced with language which is not gender specific.
The Citizens’ Assembly also recommended that Article 41.2 contain obligations from the State to take reasonable measures to support care within the home and the wider community.
According to Varadkar, it was not yet certain whether multiple referenda would be required or if it would be possible to make the three amendments using a single omnibus referendum.
Equality Minister Roderic O’Gorman said that an inter-departmental committee would be established, with the wording of the referenda to be decided on by mid-May.
Legislation to allow the referendum take place would then be published by the end of June, with passage through the Dáil and Seanad then to follow.
The campaign for the referendum is expected to begin at the end of September.
News of the referendum has been welcomed today, with Labour leader Ivana Bacik saying that it was good to see a date set.
However, she said that the referendum must cover all three recommendations that were made by the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality.
Bacik, who chaired the Special Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality, said that “sexist” language within the Constitution around women and mothers must be removed.
“The changes recommended to Article 41 would remove the sexist language currently in the text referring exclusively to women and mothers as having a ‘life’ and ‘duties’ within the home. Instead, the proposed changes would insert gender-neutral language to ensure that the role of care is recognised, valued and supported by the State,” Bacik said.
“The proposed changes would also ensure a more inclusive definition of ‘family’- beyond the family based upon marriage currently recognised in Article 41.”
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Watching videos of these kind of jumps gives me the heebijeebies. At least he went doing something he loved, poor guy.
Funny how they never say that about people who O.D. on heroin.
Maybe that’s because they don’t really love what they’re doing?
I want the video released to show other people the dangers involved.
I think a heroin overdose would be a much more pleasant way to die than smashing into the side of a jagged cliff face and tumbling to your death.
He died doing something he loved? He loved slamming into the ground at high speed?
The heavenliest signed crusader :’(
he was a daredevil , he loved the thrill and adrenaline it gave him . that’s what he loved , nobody is taking about slamming to the ground .
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Darwin yet
The heavenliest winged crusader :’(
Ultimately you have a responsibility to the ones that love you, to not purposely put yourself in harms way. So you don’t put them in an awful situation should things go wrong. Having said that, im not judging this guy, rip.
If this was some kid who blew his brain out playing Russian Roulette everyone here would be shouting Darwin Awards, but because this kid is perceived as somehow brave, his death is seen as heroic. He was young with his life ahead of him, now he’s dead. Nothing heroic about it, maybe some sort of misguided bravery, but ultimately a tragic waste of life.
Wow Suzie, you clearly don’t get sarcasm…
It must have been his massive balls that dragged him down. A very brave man.
How is that bravery? It’s stupidity that’s what it is. Bravery is when you jump to rescue someone or to find help because your all stranded on the mountain etc etc. That’s bravery. Climbing the likes of Everest isn’t bravery it’s stupidity and nothing more than thrill seeking at that.
What a beautiful perspective.
Stephen,
You can die crossing a road. Is it stupid to cross a road? Bottom line is you need to be massively brave to fly a wing suit.
They have studied such people and it isn’t bravery. They literally don’t feel fear like other people so it is just like being tall you are born like that.
The same way others are hyper fearful.
Another guy doing things that I would never have the balls to do is Mustang. A Ukrainian guy that hangs off high buildings with 1 hand. Some people say stupid but I have to admire people like them. https://youtu.be/kpS7vhvkIQM
Nobody’s thrill searching when they cross a road. We need to cross roads daily as a necessity in life. It is NOT neccesary to jump Into a wing suit and go down a mountain. It’s thrill seeking and I don’t begrudge people thrill seeking we all do it with something but in my eyes climbing Everest or jumping from a mountain in a wing suit is tad bit over the top and enters the realm of stupidity and that of thrill seeking and certainly not a brave thing to do, it’s an action that at its root is egotistical and serves no purpose. “I’m gonna jump from Eiffel Tower here for no reason at all and put my own life and thAt of others in danger for the craic” THAT is not bravery.
You’re right Stephen he wasn’t one bit brave just decided to be cool look at me, and now I’m dead, moral of the story attention seeking doesn’t always work out the way you planned?
He’s dead now, too, Monty.
To each their own my friend. What’s stupidity to you is euphoria, ambition & achievement to others. And if that’s what they want to do with their lives, that’s their prerogative & their right. It’s very sad that it sometimes ends like this but they know the risks & choose to take them because they want to. That’s living, even if it sometimes ends in death.
Jesus Christ Stephen. You always were a boring sap.
Boring doctor or just been realistic?, the guy died because he took a risk, doesn’t make him a hero?
It was an April fool.. he’s still alive as far as I know.
Being afraid of doing something but doing it anyway is bravery. Doing something dangerous that doesn’t scare you is fearlessness.
or attention seeking because nobody asked you to do it?
Is it not braver to do something you fear? Obviously that man had no fear.
Fine Rossa he done it because he was fearless but at the same time been selfish to the concerns of others around him just to prove he’s brave?, dead now and people are grieving why?.
Fine the grim reaper has a time for us all, if a ten ton truck slams me against a wall in the morning well I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I have no intention of cutting my life short by been a hero.
Cigarettes and alcohol will probably kill me eventually well the doctor will blame cigarettes and alcohol anyway regardless?.
@eminent re:mustang not this guy, obviously
How enlightening, thanks for filling me in.
live by the wingsuit, die by the wingsuit.
12pm European time, is not 11pm Irish time!
it’s dangerous enough during daylight!
12pm is meaningless anyway. 12 noon is neither before (am) nor after (pm) noon and midnight is both before and after noon?
Tom, by convention 12 noon is 12 pm. Midnight is 12 am.
Derek. am and pm are ante-meridiem and post-meridiem, i.e. before and after the sun crosses the ‘line’, respectively. Official authorities (e.g. Royal Observatory) suggest 12pm not be used. We should either use the unambiguous 24 hour clock or use “12 noon”. I have seen 12pm used with the meaning you suggest but don’t know where it came frm (USA, perhaps?)
1/60 base/wing suit jumpers in Switzerland meet this faith! It is incredible to see these lads push the limits of what humans can do and having the balls to do it
It’s 1 in 5 globally
On a wing and a prayer, RIP.
Bravery is publicly contradicting yourself in the comments section on the journal.ie
No its not!
Actually, sorry I was wrong. Yes it is….
Stupid way to die
@Dermot…….tell us all what’s a good way to die so………..
In your sleep?
In your world Gerry is ‘good’ the opposite of ‘stupid’?
Needs to be banned. Some people just too stupid for their own good. Your life is precious. Throwing it away like this is simply beyond ridiculous.
Your life is surely yours to do with it as you please. Dogging is probably dangerous for people with dodgy tickers, but if people want to participate in that kind of activity who are we to say they shouldn’t?
Poor guy, Rip may God have mercy on his soul. X
I feel terrible for the family and friends he left behind. This was a needless death and never should’ve happened.
Did young leave a good looking corpse….
Whilst unfortunately you continue to live making spelling mistakes where ever your grim sense of humor takes you
Moron
John … *wherever *humour
“11pm Irish time”
very strange way to die
Should of drank red bull it gaves you Winnggggggssssss
It’s only a matter of time before the GoPro footage from his jump will be on Liveleak
how strange
Who the fluk is johnny strange….strange name
mercury strikes again
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