License to discriminate would set dangerous precedent that could impact on rights and freedoms enjoyed by all of us
Thursday, June 17th – The Equality Authority has today said that allowing public servants to put personal religious beliefs before the requirements of civil law would set a dangerous precedent that could impact very seriously on a range of individual rights and freedoms enjoyed by people in Ireland today.
The Authority was responding to the latest call from the Catholic Bishops that civil registrars should be allowed to ignore civil law – in the form of the Civil Partnership legislation – if their religious beliefs are opposed to same-sex partnerships.
Dr Angela Kerins, Chairperson of the Equality Authority, commented:
“In their latest statement the Catholic Bishops are again calling for outright discrimination against same-sex couples in Ireland. The bishops argue that public servants – people whose salaries are paid for by all taxpayers, regardless of sexuality – should be given an ‘opt out’ from performing a civil partnership in the case where it contravenes their religious beliefs.
“Such an ‘opt out’ would seriously diminish the rights enjoyed by every person in this State. Where would we draw the line between the personal religious beliefs of public servants and their responsibilities to uphold civil law and to carry out their duties? Would a public servant be allowed to refuse to marry someone of a different religion or a person who is divorced? How would individuals’ rights under civil law to access legally guaranteed public services eventually be compromised if these matters conflicted with the personal religious beliefs of the public servant they were dealing with?
“The ‘opt out’ called for by the Bishops would be a licence to discriminate. This would set a very dangerous precedent for the curtailment of individual freedoms and rights in Ireland today. The call is unacceptable in a democratic Republic, where issues of Church and State must be independent.
“Public servants’ representatives are not calling for an ‘opt out’. In fact, public service unions are supportive of this civil partnership legislation as a positive step forward towards equality. The vast majority of people, as demonstrated by independent opinion polls, want essential protections and rights extended to same-sex couples – people who are their family and their friends.
“The Civil Partnership Bill is an historic step towards a fair and just society for gay, lesbian and bisexual people. The Bill will allow adults in same-sex relationships, who so choose, to have their relationships recognised by civil law, and will extend protection to same-sex couples in areas like inheritance, pension benefits and medical rights. This is the right thing to do, and is long overdue.”
Ends.