Religious solemnisers will not be compelled to solemnise any marriage that is against their conscience on religious grounds, the Irish Government
has said.
As the country’s Justice Minister, Frances Fitzgerald (pictured), announced plans to bring the finalised Marriage Bill 2015 before the Dáil next week, she stressed that the new legislation will not place pressure on religious bodies to act against their beliefs on marriage as that between one and one woman.
“The Bill retains the existing protections for religious bodies,” Minister Fitzgerald stressed. “They will not be compelled to recognise a particular form of marriage ceremony. Similarly, a religious solemniser will not be compelled to solemnise a marriage that is not in accordance with the form of ceremony recognised by the religious body of which he or she is a member.”
However, campaigners against same-sex marriage said during the referendum that schools would be forced to teach about same-sex marriage regardless of their ethos and that more small, privately owned businesses, such as Ashers Bakery in Northern Ireland would be forced to facilitate same-sex marriages or produce material supporting same-sex marriage against their beliefs.
The Government said during the referendum that no allowance would be made for conscience rights.
Describing her “delight” at publishing Ireland’s Marriage Bill, the Minister said: “In accordance with the priority which the Government is attaching to this matter, the legislative process will begin immediately and I will introduce the Bill into the Dáil next week.”
According to a release from Minister Fitzgerald’s department: “The Marriage Bill 2015 will update the laws on marriages to enable couples to marry without distinction as to their sex as provided for in Article 41.4 of the Constitution which was approved by the people in the historic Marriage Equality referendum on 22 May 2015. Article 41.4 provides for two persons to have the right to contract a marriage in accordance with law without distinction as to their sex.”
In addition to allowing for first-time same-sex marriages, the Bill also contains a provision under which those currently holding a notification of intention to enter into a same-sex civil partnerships can alter that to one of an intention to marry.
The Minister confirmed that the Bill includes a provision allowing a couple to convert a notification of their intention to enter civil partnership into a notification of their intention to marry.
The Marriage Bill became the 34th Amendment to the Constitution when President Michael D. Higgins signed the legislation last month.
Supporters of the redefinition of marriage have expressed hopes that the first same-sex marriage in Ireland will take place before the end of the year. The Minister’s announcement of its publication next week means those marriages could come as early as October.