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A COALITION OF non-governmental organisations has written to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar calling on him to publish the proposed new wording for the ‘women in the home’ clause in the Irish Constitution.
The group said that unless the proposed wording is published as soon as possible, there will not be enough to allow for a national conversation on the matter to take place before the referendum.
The Government has signalled its intention to hold a referendum later this year on a proposal to insert a gender equality and non-discrimination principle into the Constitution.
In the open letter to the Taoiseach this week, Family Carers Ireland, One Family, the National Women’s Council (NWC), SIPTU and Treoir (the national federation of services for unmarried parents and their families) noted that the wording was expected by mid-May but that this deadline has now passed.
The letter said that without knowing the exact wording, it will be “increasingly difficult to build a civil society response” and said this is unfair to the families and people directly impacted.
It added:
We hope the delay does not signal a government backtrack.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said last month that he still expects the referendum to take place in November despite some “difficulty agreeing on the wording.”
At the time, he pointed out that there are two key issues at play: the wording in the Constitution that says the family is founded on marriage and the clause relating to the role of women in the home.
Director of the National Women’s Council, Orla O’Connor, said this week that she is concerned about the proposed timeline for the referendum.
She said it is important to amend the “restrictive language” on women’s role in society used in the Constitution so that it “reflects the value of care and everyone’s role in care” across society.
Likewise, Ethel Buckley, deputy general secretary of the trade Union SIPTU said such a national conversation on the definition of family, the role of women in society and the recognition of care both in the home and community deserves time.
Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, One Family said that this referendum will be an opportunity to offer recognition to families who “have been mistreated over the years”.
The organisation’s CEO, said that there are families living in Ireland now who are not recognised as such in our Constitution, who have “been waiting years for recognition”.
She said the Government owes it to them to publish wording as soon as possible before the referendum.
Adding to this, Catherine Cox, the head of communications and policy at Family Carers Ireland, said a referendum to include wording in the Constitution that recognises the societal value of care in the home and wider community and obliges the State to take measures to support family carers, is a “milestone moment in our history”.
In 2021, the Citizens’ Assembly on gender equality recommended the deletion and replacement of Article 41.2 of the Constitution.
This article states:
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 State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to neglect of their duties in the home.
Along with the removal of Article 41.2, the assembly recommended amending Article 41, which recognises the family as the natural and fundamental unit group of society as a moral institution.
The assembly said the family should not be limited to the marital family. It also suggests inserting a new clause into Article 40, which centres on Fundamental Rights to refer explicitly to gender equality and non-discrimination.
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He sounds like an inspirational man.
A talented engineer with a great cause.
Always a recipe for success.
I wish Enda and his team, the best of luck.
Well done to Enterprise Ireland for backing them.
Excellent idea. Hope he publishes his data. In terms of language use here, it would be preferable to say ‘children with autism’ rather than ‘autistic’.There is so much more to these children than just their diagnosis.
Typical Irish we’d find something wrong in everything, even a good news story like this. Very cynical of you to assume people fail to see the child beyond the diagnosis. It is what it is, I don’t think worrying about how it’s put is up there on the list of priorities. And yes I have an autistic family member.
By that logic it would be preferable to say human of lesser years rather than children.
Richard, you make a lot of assumptions there. I’m a child psychologist and am very enthused about this project as I stated in my comment. As I work extensively in the area of special educational needs, it is common place to refer to children as such. You may disagree, but I know that some professionals, families and children themselves prefer less categorical descriptions.
Sounds like he knows his stuff, can’t fault anything he said.
I’m also delighted children with language disorder are also included.
It is factually incorrect to say that all children diagnosed with ASD or language disorders are highly intelligent individuals. This program costs €100 per week and its efficacy is unproven by proper research and evaluative studies…
He did not say ‘all’ children. Straw man.
He left it to the common sense of the reader to determine the meaning. A dangerous assumption, with respect, to the miserati Irish.
The program costs €100 per week. And?
It’s a company. It has to charge to make a profit, to keep it in business. Jesus wept.
It’s a company that has convinced enough people to invest in it, with their results and the possibility of results.
They are constantly researching which is where results come from. It’s where all engineering and scientific progress begins with.
Now, to go back to bed, son.
Read back on your comment David and ask yourself should you have really posted such a moronic response.
You find it acceptable for a company to convince people to invest in their programme, ( nay, in the future of their children), because they need to make a profit!….?
” The program costs €100 per week. And?It’s a company. It has to charge to make a profit, to keep it in business. Jesus wept. It’s a company that has convinced enough people to invest in it, with their results and the possibility of results. ”
They have NO EMPIRICAL RESULTS whatever as to the efficacy of the program.
You say, “They are constantly researching which is where results come from. ”
I suspect that you’re a low-life trollix, or an investor in said company.
Before I go back to bed as you suggested, I’d like to inform you that I’ve been deeply involved in the welfare and education of children with ASD for the past fourteen years and have learned during that time to view ALL ” sure cure programmes” with a very jaundiced eye.
I personally would be very reluctant to pay €100 per week for a program, not shown by proper research to be in any way effective, the sale of which is based solely on the assurance by the CEO of the company that it helped his children.
Basing a business on the hopes and dreams of people who struggle to cope with ASD and its impact on their daily lives, without proof of success, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I have expertise in this area…what do you have, “son”?
You cannot even get the basics right.
1. It’s €100 per month, not per week. You were corrected already.
“You find it acceptable for a company to convince people to invest in their programme, ( nay, in the future of their children), because they need to make a profit!….?”
Another straw man. 2 in the one article. Maybe you are just confused.
1. Consumers don’t invest, they pay a price for a product/service.
2. Investors, invest, to make a profit or else they invest to make a loss. Anything else is charity. Profit is the indication of efficiency. It’s what pays the wages and brings the product to the market.
“I suspect that you’re a low-life trollix, or an investor in said company.”
Ah, the Irish use of the word, Troll. i.e for anyone whose points, you cannot refute.
I am not an investor in this private company although I wish I was.
‘Jaundiced eye’ means bias. You are taking an opinion before appraised of the facts. Page one of the scientific method. You have made statements that you have no evidence to back up. You know nothing about this company yet have already condemned it.
Pixar have put their name behind it. Whose due diligence is better, yours or theirs.
Enterprise Ireland have put money into it but you know better.
“ot shown by proper research to be in any way effective, the sale of which is based solely on the assurance by the CEO of the company that it helped his children.”
Gee, if only EI and Pixar had thought of that.
More supposition. Do you understand the difference between a commercial product and a scientific experiment? I have an Iphone and Imac, not backed by peer review, yet for some strange reason, they perform excellently. I can see they perform excellently hence I buy them.
Their product and their internal tests are empirical results. What you mean is that they have not been independently peer reviewed(even that, is only an assumption) Stop using words that you don’t understand.
‘Without proof of success…’
Why the did Pixar, EI invest then?
“I have expertise in this area…what do you have”
12 HL Languages, 5 Assembly languages and years of successful product implementation.
Anything else?
No, well get out of the way then and let the engineers go to work, making the world better.
Ireland. Unbelievable sometimes.
Rather than waste time pointing out the multiple inaccuracies in your response I will merely remark that your whole view of this business is based on a sociopathic “greed is good” premise, showing no concern whatever for the welfare of the ASD children.
Oh, and by the way, there’s actually nothing wrong with charity. Perhaps this is where our opinions diverge…
I met this man and he is a genius.When you have a child who cannot communicate you have behaviour issues and frustration.I wish this project was there when my child was non verbal.
In starting this with my son next week and its not €100 a week, it’s €100 a month. Well worth the money considering one 45 min session with speech therapist is €65+. This is exactly what my son needs. And those with the negative comments, it’s obvious that this is not an everyday worry for you and if ye knew what it was line , you would realise this is a god send. Just think about all the proof that would of had to be given for Pixar to put their name to it.
Talked to Enda myself and he is a lovely man. A gentleman and a big thank you to him for this. He has experienced all sides of autism so knows what he is talking about.
Go Enda!!
Best of Luck, Emma, to you are your son.
It is an exciting prospect.
This is great news.
Well done to Enda Dodd, his team and Enterprise Ireland.
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