Mayo Aontú representative calls for public to vote No and No in Friday's referenda

Aontú representative for Mayo, Paul Lawless has called for the public to vote No and No in Friday's two referendum votes.

Two referenda will be held on March 8 proposing to change the Irish Constitution.

The family amendment proposes extending the meaning of family beyond one defined by marriage and to include those based on “durable” relationships.

The care amendment proposes deleting references to a woman’s roles and duties in the home, and replacing it with a new article that acknowledges family carers.

Mr Lawless believes while some of the language in the relevant articles is archaic and it should be updated, any amendment to Bunreacht na hÉireann must be subject to diligent legal scrutiny before being considered to be installed.

“The wording in Bunreacht na hÉireann is crucially important as it must be clear enough to stand up to legal challenges with clear definition when in the courts of law,” Mr Lawless said.

“I do agree 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. However, the Government’s amendments do not remedy this concern. It actually opens the constitution up to further legal challenges with outcomes many of the greatest legal minds of the country are unsure of. The wording used in the amendments is vague and poorly written.”

Mr Lawless also says that “no-one is sure” what 'durable relationship' is.

“The amendment could have enormous implications for family homes, farms and property. Marriage revokes a will. Will a durable relationship revoke a will too? If it does, when will a will be revoked, after three months, nine months of the ‘durable relationship’? At what point does a casual relationship turn into a ‘durable relationship'?

“Ministers were told that the constitutional addition of the phrase ‘durable relationships’ could lead to an increase in people seeking reunification with relations who have emigrated to Ireland.

“It's not at all clear that families headed by single parents will be included in this definition. Marie Baker from the Election Commission has stated that a ‘durable relationship’ could be defined by a couple getting a Christmas card or a couple being invited to a wedding together. At what date does a casual relationship turn into a durable relationship?

“There is huge uncertainty surrounding the term 'durable relationship' as to how it could be defined. This presents a huge problem with unpredictable outcomes. Even the government is unable to answer these basic questions, instead they have asked us to leave it to the courts to define.

“Update the language of the constitution, for sure but do not weaken families constitutional rights and insert definition free terms with unknown consequences? Vote No and No.”