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Current Events: Gay Equality In Ireland

STaN · 2004-03-31 16:08:23

There has been a lot of talk lately about recognising gay unions and establishing equality in our laws and our social welfare system. This is currently on the world stage with it being a major constitutional issue in the States. 11/03/2004 SAME-SEX couples are to lose out under a proposed amendment to the Social Welfare…

31-03-2004 4:08pm

#1

STaN

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Posts: 1787

There has been a lot of talk lately about recognising gay unions and establishing equality in our laws and our social welfare system.

This is currently on the world stage with it being a major constitutional issue in the States.

11/03/2004 SAME-SEX couples are to lose out under a proposed amendment to the Social Welfare Bill to be introduced in the Dail today.

This is to clear the way for a review of the entire social welfare system to ensure equality. This may take several years and as such, i can't see how any recognition of Civil Partnerships will bring about changes to social welfare issues while this review is ongoing.

29/03/2004 JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell has indicated support for granting legal recognition to the union of gay couples.

29/03/2004 David Norris is also drafting his bill which will be the highlight of his career and will present the bill in early April

Quote from Yellum:
The Civil Partnerships Bill if its like the one David Norris is trying to bring about won't give a damn if you are heterosexual or homosexual. A couple will register their relationship/union and they will get some benefits.

This will be open to unmarried hetero couples and gay couples. There are quite a lot of unmarried hetero couples out there who will suddenly have new benefits and so this will impact on the tax collectors. So I guess for the sake of equality and also keeping the balancesheet in order he'll reduce benefits married couples get but will give registered couple these benefits.

The UK are set to introduce a similar bill:

31/03/2004 Gay couples are also set to get joint rights in the UK

In brief: Under the Civil Partnership Bill, same-sex couples will be allowed to make a legal commitment to each other at a formal ceremony and have similar rights on pensions and property to heterosexual partners.

There seems to be a bit of a conflict here. On one hand you have the review of the Social Welfare system due to the Equal Status Act and on the other you have the Civil partnership bill which seems to introduce the recognition of 'contracts' between people (not necessarily homosexual) which would mean "similar" rights.

The Civil Partnership bill may jumping ahead in my opinion while the review is in progress. Can the bill be introduced and the review run concurrently? Or will the review no longer be necessary as a result? Or are we better of, waiting for the review to finish and to take on board its findings and have a fully equal status across the entire social welfare system?

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