Call to change ‘family’ definition

SINGLE-PARENT families should be afforded the same respect and value as two-parent families under the constitution, the One Family group has urged.

Currently, half a million people in Ireland live in a one-parent family and the national support organisation believes the Constitution is no longer valid and is completely out of touch with reality. One Family’s call for the constitutional change was timed to coincide with the national support organisation’s celebration of International Day of the Family that takes place today.

International Day of the Family is a UN initiative reflecting the need to respect the rights and values of all families. In Ireland, family is still defined through judicial interpretation to mean the family based on marriage.