To pay working mothers is surely unconstitutional

Stay-at-home mothers must be thoroughly disgusted at Labour’s latest attempt at auction politics — their new childcare plan.

Minister Jan O’Sullivan, speaking on RTE recently, was, needless to say, loud in her praise of the plan.

The plan proposes to pay working parents who put their children into part-time care outside the home, but for those who care for their children full-time at home they propose — wait for it — not a cent.

When it was put to Ms. O’Sullivan on RTE that the proposal could be discriminatory against stay-at-home mothers, she didn’t deny it, because of course she couldn’t.

It does discriminate, and is, in my opinion, unconstitutional.

Article 41.2.1 and Article 41.2.2 of the Constitution of Ireland acknowledges the irreplaceable value to the State of the work of the stay-at-home mother, “without which the common good cannot be achieved”.

Jan O’Sullivan is aware of that as she was at Leinster House when I made a presentation on this to a Dáil Committee.

So much for equality.

Nora Bennis

Revington Park

NCR

Limerick