Ireland’s decision to legalise same-sex marriages, through a constitutional amendment, was an internal resolution to meet the demand of its people and not to influence other countries, Ambassador of Ireland to India Feilim McLaughlin says.
On whether Ireland hopes its decision to legalise same-sex marriages will be emulated by other countries, especially those like India where sexual relations between people of the same sex is a criminal offence, the Ambassador said it was up to other countries to decide for themselves.
“This [legalising] was not done with a view to influencing other places, countries or societies. It was an internal decision. There had been opinion polls over a long period of time that demonstrated that Irish people wanted change, this was something they felt very strongly about and it was a decision to satisfy that demand,” he said in an exclusive interview to The Hindu .
‘Variety of opinions’He went on to add: “India has a bigger variety of opinions and people of different background, and it is not for Ireland to suggest or dictate its social policy. Nobody tried to influence us and why would we try to influence [others].”
‘People are supreme’Referring to what led to the constitutional amendment in Ireland, he explained: “Fundamentally, ours is a republic and the government is dictated by the will of the people. People are sovereign at the end of the day. There is a very well-developed sense of importance of fairness and equality within the Irish character, there was a sense that the present situation was unfair.”
About 62 per cent of the Irish electorate voted in favour of same-sex marriages, even as a large proportion of the country follows the Catholic Church. The consternation expressed by the Church notwithstanding, Ireland’s decision has been hailed as historic with congratulatory messages pouring in from across the world; the head of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, called it Ireland’s way of ensuring no community was left out of society.
Accepting that the reactions were “gratifying”, Ambassador McLaughlin said: “There is a percentage of Irish people who are gay, and there was a public feeling why shouldn’t they have the same rights to marry a person of their choosing.”
OppositionHe admitted that there was reservation from various quarters, but said that eventually, it was the will of the people that the government chose to respect. “There was some opposition from the Church; in fact, a lot of the Church hierarchy were rather philosophical about the result within Ireland. There were a number of opinion-makers and people in politics who had reservations about it and campaigned against it [referendum], but the major political parties voted in favour of it and there was consensus,” he said.
‘No pressure’He denied pressure from outside Dublin, and said there was a growing attachment of the people to the idea of a secular republic. “Dublin is a cosmopolitan city; there are people of various nationalities, faiths and backgrounds living there. Ireland is a very young country, two-thirds of the population is under 40. This [legalisation] also signifies the importance that Ireland attaches to equality and social justice.”
