Yes vote ‘will take from right of child’ claims No vote campaigners

A group campaigning for a No vote in the same-sex marriage referendum have claimed a Yes vote next month would detract from a child’s right to a mother and father.

The group, Mothers and Fathers Matter, also revealed it was preparing a legal challenge to recent legislation on same-sex parents adopting.

Outlining their campaign ahead of the May 22 vote, the group argued that changing Article 41 of the Constitution would change the definition of marriage and the family.

The claim comes despite the referendum commission this week saying the passing of the referendum would not impact on the current status of marriage or affect children and parental rights.

Group adviser Dr Tom Finnegan yesterday claimed a No vote would protect the rights of children, but a Yes vote would give two men or women the same constitutional right to have children as a heterosexual couple, even though they could “never give the love of both a mother and father”, he said.

At the campaign launch, the group also claimed research allegedly showed children without fathers or mothers went on to have personality problems.

Mother-of-five and group spokeswoman Kate Bopp said research showed boys growing up without a father were prone to anger, while daughters without a father sometimes gravitated towards abusive relationships.

“Statistics show that these are borne out in research that these are things that will happen to children who grow up without their father.”

Despite repeated questioning, the group did not clarify if they implying children of same-sex parents were more prone to have personality problems.

Ms Bopp also did not provide the specific research which proved the absence of a mother or father was linked to “numerous problems later in life”.

The group plan to put up a number of videos online in the coming weeks, to engage in debates and distribute posters and pamphlets.

Mr Finnegan said it had already raised €80,000 in funding from individual donations inside Ireland and hoped to double that in the coming weeks.

Group campaigner Keith Mills, who is gay, said early polls were notoriously unreliable and predicted “support would swing back to the status quo” in the weeks ahead.

Mr Finnegan revealed the group was examining whether to mount a challenge to the recently-passed family legislation which allows for same-sex adoption, surrogacy and IVF births. However, the group will only move to overturn the Family and Children Relationship Bill if the referendum is not passed.

Mothers and Fathers Matter also said they had concern that schools might be “coerced” into teaching about gay marriage after recent comments by Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he expected schools to educate pupils about same-sex marriage.

Responding to the group’s claims yesterday, Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said: “I cannot for the life of me see why looking to make the institution of marriage available to more people, with all of the responsibilities and all of protections that affords, would in any way deliver a weakening or diluting of it.”

Meanwhile, bookmakers Betfair are to pay out on a ‘Yes’ result with five weeks still left in the campaign.

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