The Daily Mail has given its support to amending the Civil Partnership Bill to protect freedom of conscience and religion.

In an editorial in today’s paper, it says that the provision in the Bill which criminalises civil registrars for refusing to carry out civil unions is “ridiculous and unfair”.

It continues: “To formally recognise a same-sex relationship is completely at odds with the sincerely held beliefs of many Christians-and indeed followers of other faiths.

“Surely it is not unreasonable to have an opt-out clause for such people? Threatening them with jail is using a large hammer to crack a very small nut.”

It says that priests and pastors will not be required to conduct such ceremonies and it described criminalising registrars who had a conscientious objection to conducting such ceremonies as “narrow-minded”.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister has again ruled out inserting such a clause into the Bill.

In front of the Select Committee on Justice, Equality and Law Reform yesterday, Mr Ahern said that public servants couldn’t be allowed “to opt out on an ‘a la carte’ basis as they see fit themselves”.

Such opt outs, he suggested, could create difficulties in other sectors of the public service, given the increasingly multicultural make up of Irish society.

Public servants of whatever religion had to put their religious beliefs aside “on the basis that they are employees of the public service”.

The Bill was also allow for the fining of private providers of goods and services who do not want to facilitate civil partnership ceremonies or receptions on conscience grounds. In addition, it allows for the suing of church halls that do not allow themselves to be rented for civil partnership receptions.

Mr Ahern said that no registrars had contacted his Department to say they had a problem with carrying out civil union ceremonies.

Labour Justice spokesperson Brendan Howlin echoed Department of Justice concerns about the so-called ‘unintended consequences’ of a conscience clause. He said a conscience amendment could lead to “Muslim nurses refusing to serve pork” and “Jehovah’s Witness nurses refusing to be involved in operations where there are blood transfusions”.

He continued: “People are obliged to to deal with the norms of the State and I think that should apply to servants of the State.”

A recent conscience amendment presented to the Department of Justice by two Church of Ireland bishops takes account of the unintended consequences fears and restricts the conscience opt-out purely to the ceremony and reception.