A No result in the referendums on family and care on Friday would be a “setback for the country”, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said, as campaigners for and against the two proposed amendments to the Constitution made final appeals to the electorate.
On Friday the public will vote on the Government’s proposal to expand the definition of family in the Constitution to recognise “durable relationships”, such as cohabiting couples and their children, and to replace the language around women “within the home” with language recognising care within families.
Speaking to reporters in Bucharest, Romania, on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar said the Constitution was a “value statement about what we stand for as a society”.
“I think a No vote would be a setback for the country, quite frankly. It would say to a lot of people – hundreds of thousands of people and children – that they’re not in a family as far as our Constitution is concerned, and that would be a step backwards, I think. And it would also mean in relation to care that the very old-fashioned language about women in the home and mother’s duties in the home would be maintained and the opportunity to add in special recognition for family carers will be lost.”
However, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín described the family amendment as a “solicitors’ paradise” and said it represented “virtue signalling”.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, he said: “For sure some of the language in the relevant articles is archaic and it should be updated. We would have welcomed a common-sense update to reflect a modern Ireland. But these Government’s amendments are exceptionally poorly written. Opposition parties who initially articulated support for these referendums are falling silent. I think Government TDs are also keeping their heads down.”
Aontú is the only political party that is advocating for a No-No vote in the referendum proposals.
Some campaigners, including the Free Legal Advice Centre, have criticised the wording of the care referendum, stating it is unlikely to provide carers, people with disabilities or older people with new enforceable rights or improved services from the State. However, the Taoiseach said the amendment would not place the responsibility for care solely on a family, as some campaigners have suggested.
“That’s been debunked. And that’s just not true. I have a very firm view that people have responsibilities and the State has responsibilities too. And that’s the case when it comes to care,” he said.
The Taoiseach said he believes the referendums will pass. Asked if the vote would pass comfortably, Mr Varadkar said he was “not so concerned about the margin”.
“The divorce referendum passed by a very narrow margin, as little as one vote in every ballot box. A win is a win, and I’ll be happy with the result no matter how narrow it is.”
He urged members of the public to cast their vote, stating turnout was important and the Constitution “belongs to the people”.
Chair of the Oireachtas Women’s Caucus Fiona O’Loughlin said while the group was mindful of the criticisms it believed the amendments would “represent progress towards equality”.
“The Women’s Caucus encourages people to vote Yes-Yes in the referendums on Friday,” the Fianna Fáil Senator said.
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik also urged people to back the amendments. “We understand many people feel it does not go far enough, but it is still a step forward. We have waited 87 years for this step forward. We can only vote on the text that is before us, and we are here today to say we will be voting Yes-Yes.”
