A new organisation called ‘Mothers and Fathers Matter’ was launched yesterday, with its Chairman saying that its purpose was to draw attention to the anti-child nature of the Children and Family Relationships Bill in its present form.
Mothers and Fathers Matter Chairman, Professor Ray Kinsella of UCD, said: “We believe this legislation seriously undermines the rights of children. It is extraordinary that a Government, which professes to be pro-child, would seek to push legislation through the Dail that treats the natural tie, and by extension the complementarity of motherhood and fatherhood, in such a dismissive fashion.’’
In a press release, the organisation called on citizens to get in touch with their politicians and express their opposition to the Bill. They encouraged people to contact their local TDs and send them an e-letter via their website at mothersandfathersmatter.ie/get-involved [1] .
The release went on: “The message of Mothers and Fathers Matter is exactly that; the natural ties between the child, especially in its early stages of development, and its natural mother and its natural father are fundamental to its development.”
The press release went on to claim that latest version of the General Scheme of the Children and Family Relationships Bill, published last week, denies this outright.
Mothers and Fathers Matter said that in its present form the proposed legislation:
– Undermines the right of a child to a mother and father whenever possible
– Intentionally disrupts the natural ties between parents and children
– Undermines the special status of marriage in the Constitution
– The Bill in effect commodifies children and puts the wants of adults before the needs of children
The government gives the impression that the law simply regulates existing family relationships by giving them a legal form. In fact, the law creates an almost absolute ‘right’ to produce a child via artificial means and an extremely wide ‘right’ for adults to adopt children, regardless of marital status or whether the child’s fundamental right to a mother and father will be respected.
Professor Kinsella said “We should have learnt the lessons of the past by now. We know the pain it can cause to children when they do not know their natural parents. The Government should do what it can to spare children this pain rather than inflicting it on them. Prohibiting anonymous egg and sperm donation does not properly protect the rights of children. The practise itself should be legally prohibited.
“Adoption law should seek, whenever possible, to place children with a married mother and father. Only in exceptional circumstances should this preference, which common sense confirms is in the best interests of the child, be set aside. The proposed Bill goes against this. It allows individuals living in a whole spectrum of relationships to adopt. It is difficult to understand how the government has managed to convinced itself that this does not impact negatively on children. It further confirms that government does not attach any special importance either to marriage or to motherhood and fatherhood.”
He concluded: “Common sense, as well as our Constitution, acknowledges the place of mothers and fathers in conceiving, nurturing and raising children. We should not be legislating to subvert this most basic entitlement of a child. Legislators have an enormous responsibility to oppose the ideology behind this Bill and to press for its amendment.”