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Children's Referendum: Varadkar hits out at the No side

The Minister has strongly criticised what he labelled “the constant misinformation” being propagated by the No side.

FINE GAEL’S DIRECTOR of Elections or the Children’s Referendum Campaign Leo Varadkar TD has moved to criticise the information being presented by those opposed to the Referendum.

Varadkar described the information being presented by the No side as “myths” and said it could cause some members of the public to be “misled on one of the most important referenda in the history of our State”.

Varadkar said that he welcomed debate and discussion on the topic, but was growing concerned by “misinformation” being propagated just one week from polling day:

Deeply disturbing statements are being made by the No side, ranging from claims about forced adoption to the suggestion that this Referendum is a threat to parents’ rights. These are desperate attempts to derail a Referendum that, if passed, will have a hugely positive effect on child protection in this country.

Varadkar said that a Yes vote will remove inequalities in adoption, meaning children in long-term foster care have a better chance of a safe and secure home in the long term, regardless of the marital status of their parents. “At the moment, it is virtually impossible for these children to be adopted by their foster families,” he said.

The Minister also dismissed the assertion that voting Yes will lead to forced adoptions as “nonsense”, saying there are a number of safeguards in Irish adoption law to prevent this.

He said that adoption cases must go through the Adoption Authority, must be approved by the High Court, and that anyone who wishes to be heard, including the prospective adopters, the natural parents or other relatives, must be given the opportunity to express their feelings on the prospective adoption. He insisted that an adoption will only be granted “if it is in the child’s best interests” and that the Referendum will not change any of these safeguards.

The Minister said that Article 41 of the Constitution, which deals with the rights of the family, will not be affected in any way by the passing of the Referendum. “The rights and protections granted to the family by the Constitution remain intact and untouched. This has been clarified not only by the independent Chair of the Referendum Commission, but also by a coalition of parent’s groups who have urged a Yes vote,” he said.

He also hit out at claims made by Kathy Sinnott this week that children in State care are six times more likely to die – saying that the “vast majority” of children in care in Ireland live with foster families, not in institutions or residential homes, and insisted that the death rate of children in care is broadly in line, and slightly lower most years, with the death rate of the general population. He asked anyone who doubted this to read the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group.

Addressing claims that passing the Referendum will negatively ‘lock’ Ireland in to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Varadkar pointed out that the country had already ratified the UNCRC 20 years ago. “It has been ratified by more countries than any other human rights convention. Since we ratified it, we have done much to act on its principles. But this Referendum doesn’t refer to it in any way, so it’s a bit of a mystery what point the No side is trying to make on this issue,” he said.

“Those opposing this Referendum are doing us all a disservice by resorting to inaccurate, groundless claims. This Referendum, at its very core, is about protecting children and supporting families. A Yes vote will offer those children who are at risk in their own home, greater protection. It will ensure children are listened to, their interests are paramount and that all children are treated equally in adoption,” he concluded.

Read: Poll: Will you vote in the children’s referendum?>

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81 Comments
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    Mute Daffers
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 12:55 PM

    Wow. To be the 7th least failed state in the world is mindblowing… simply for the thought that most are in a worse position than us!

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    Mute Alex simon
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 1:35 PM

    We are better than canada! And the usa not bad

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    Mute Treasa Lynch
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 1:21 PM

    Am I reading that right? Only three other EU members are less failed states than Ireland is?

    God that must really irritate the crew who consider us a complete banana republic.

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    Mute Kevin O Sullivan
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 1:03 PM

    i thought everything in the nordic countries was top banna. seeings they are always held up as the ones to be like

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    Mute Claire O'Dwyer
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 1:09 PM

    That article doesn’t make a whole pile of sense..

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    Mute fizi_water
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 2:57 PM

    This ranking is not about quality of life, etc. like some comments suggest you read that. It’s about peace and military risks in particular countries.

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    Mute Ryan Murphy
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 6:11 PM

    I suppose it’s “our” fault that seven of the ten worst countries are in Africa.

    Haiti was a cesspit ever before the tragedy there, sadly, and now they’ve turned to raping one another.

    Iraq and Afghanistan are a whole other story!

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    Mute fitszpatrick
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    Jun 24th 2011, 12:10 AM

    Hail the baldy Nazis dem dam nigras don’t have a clue

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    Mute Ryan Murphy
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    Jun 24th 2011, 1:23 AM

    You’re some gowl.

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    Mute David Higgins
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 6:05 PM

    I hope we can move up near Switzerland at some stage. Tighter borders, lower-taxes, and they have their own currency!!!

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    Mute Dave Finn
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 11:10 PM

    Lower taxes? Really? Any mid Europe states i’ve lived in were thieves when it came to tax! (admittedly i’ve not lived in Switzerland, but it is one of my favourite places!)

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    Mute Shaafici Cali
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 1:40 PM

    really this is propaganda somalia is not leading top list there is bit exageration we aware of that somalia is devastated country and failure state indicating humanitarian crises and human rights abuses ,killing ,abducting, hijacking raping but there is still hope to survive this condition we are not hopeless our people still struggling to control there live style and to restore the country peace and stability so that we are not top list becouse this means no hope

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    Mute fizi_water
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 3:03 PM

    Sorry, but what is actually your point, I struggle to understand? Thanks.

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    Mute wayupnorth
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    Jun 23rd 2011, 4:11 PM

    I think the point was that “there is hope”.

    And yes, if other countries stopped interfering, there probably would be. For example:
    “The United States has quietly poured weapons and military advisers into Ethiopia, whose recent invasion of Somalia opened a new front in the Bush administration’s war on terrorism …” etc etc. 1/8/2007

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