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I’m not sure how else marriage equality could have been achieved in Ireland. The High Court of Ireland ruled a few years ago that under the Irish Constitution, a marriage is between a man and a woman. An amendment to the Irish Constitution, including one to allow same-sex marriage, requires a referendum.
Also, in the U.S., it was by a _vote_ by Congress and 3/4 of the state legislaturesthat the Bill of Rights was enacted.
Paul: I guess the Irish Constitution has embraced, and articulated, a fundamentalist Christian definition of marriage; I can see the legislative difficulty of overcoming this stumbling block in Ireland. But, if that’s the only way it could come to Ireland in the foreseeable future, a popular votes makes it an even more extraordinary blessing.
My only point is that a referendum is not the most just way to justice. To wit: Prop 8 in California. We cannot put our essential freedoms to a vote of public opinion; public opinion is for the pollsters.
Prop 8 provides an interesting contrast to the Irish referendum. Both were in response to a court ruling on same-sex marriage. But while Prop 8 involved a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage, the Irish referendum was over a constitutional amendment permitting it.
A remarkable national spasm for social justice; a seismic shift on the Emerald Isle. I wonder what the reverberations—good and not so good—will be.
That said, as this poster states, civil rights, human rights or any other rights should not be put to a vote. I can’t imagine where our nation would be if our hard won freedoms–via the Bill of Rights and the Constitution—were put to a vote. Even today!