Referendums on family and care to be held next March

The Government has confirmed plans to hold two referendums on constitutional references to family and care in March next year.

The Government has confirmed plans to hold two referendums on constitutional references to family and care in March next year.

The proposed referendums, to be held on International Women's Day on March 8, will broaden the definition of family beyond marriage in the constitution.

They will cover proposals to amend Article 41 of the constitution to provide for a wider concept of the family, beyond one defined by marriage; and to delete Article 41.2 and its reference to the role of women in the home and insert a new article – 42B – that recognises care provided within a family.

At a press conference, Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the 39th Amendment, which deals with the definition of family, proposes to amend Article 41.1.1 to insert the words "whether founded on marriage or on other durable relationships".

It also proposes the deletion of the words "on which the Family is founded" from Article 41.3.1.

And the 40th Amendment deals with the role of women in the home.

It proposes to delete Article 41.2 and replace it with an Article 42B which reads:

“The State recognises that the provision of care, by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them, gives to Society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved, and shall strive to support such provision."

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government has spent a “considerable amount of time” working on the proposed wording for the referendum.

He also said he is “concerned” at how divide the debate around the referendum could become and said the Government will “push back strongly” on any disinformation.