‘No’ campaigners report alleged removal of posters

A group campaigning for a No vote in the marriage equality referendum has reported to gardaí the alleged removal of campaign posters.

Sat, 25 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Joe Leogue

Meanwhile, a constitutional expert has said relevant case law does not support claims by some of the no side who have suggested that passing the referendum would grant same-sex couples a right to surrogacy.

Mothers and Fathers Matter said it was forwarding material from social media to gardaí in which groups are seen removing the public posters calling for a no vote in the May 22 poll.

“Each morning of this week, Twitter and other social media sites have been full of yes campaigners bragging and posting photographs of themselves taking down posters belonging to the Mothers and Fathers Matter campaign,” a statement from the group said.

“It is with great regret that we have taken the decision to forward all of these materials, tweets, Facebook posts, and so on to An Garda Síochána.

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“There is very clearly a significant element of the yes side that either fears or opposes debate on this referendum. Instead, they are engaged in a campaign of harassment, intimidation, and criminality,” the group said.

One poster from Mothers and Fathers Matter depicts a child along with the message: “Surrogacy? She needs her mother for life, not just for nine months — vote No”.

While some members of the no campaign insist that passing the referendum would pave the way for surrogacy rights for same-sex couples, an expert said there is nothing in existing case law that supports the claim.

Dr Conor O’Mahony, a senior lecturer in constitutional law and child law at University College Cork, said his analysis shows that “it has never been established that opposite-sex married couples have a constitutional right to access assisted human reproductive services, whether IVF, donor-assisted human reproduction, or surrogacy”.

“If opposite-sex married couples do not currently have this constitutional right, then it follows that same-sex couples would not have it either in the event that the referendum is passed,” Dr O’Mahony said on UCC’s Constitution Project website.