Just announced: a new public consultation on the next National Strategy for Women and Girls. Is this just another box ticking exercise before proceeding once again with what the gender identity activists in our NGOs and Government want?
O’Connor stated at that 2018 meeting that NWCI consultations showed no disagreement about “the need for the sexist language in Article 41.2 to go.” She stated: “On this matter, everyone agrees.” Clearly, as the referendums showed, not everyone did agree.
Enter women. Women who fielded phone calls from people who decided to phone a friend before making their choice. Who thrashed out their ideas on forums and in WhatsApp groups.
People want the constitutional acknowledgement of women and mothers retained. Motherhood is not gender-neutral. Fathers in the home should be acknowledged too but not at the expense of mothers.
"The woman down the flats didn't know that the State has a direct obligation to support her, should she choose to stay at home. And her sisters in the NWCI were never going to tell her while they were demanding that her right to choose should be removed."
"It was at the heart of cruel, discriminatory policies, such as the marriage bar, which forced women out of their careers once they got married," said Orla O'Connor, director of the National Women's Council.
So much has changed in the world, but our biology - the fact that women are the ones who have babies and are primed hormonally to nurture them - that hasn’t changed. The basic needs of babies and children have not changed.
Article 41.2 has been of value to mothers and will be cited in an appeal to the Supreme Court in April by a mother who is seeking the full carer’s allowance, without it being means tested. So why is the Government rushing to have the referenda passed before this appeal is heard?
The late Mr Justice Brian Walsh believed Art 41.2 should be retained "because it imposes an obligation on the State to do something in this particular area. There's no point in relieving the State of an obligation which the Constitution imposes on it."
The Government must be worried that the referenda may fail when it's already resorting to bullying NGOs which it largely funds even before the Electoral Commission is up and running.
It's just too easy to fall in with the prevailing narrative that this sub-section of Art 41 consigns women to "duties in the home".
"The gender equality referendum is likely to be held in November and will focus on amending the Constitution to 'enshrine gender equality'.." But what does that actually mean and will it benefit women - or men?
Thread from 6th May 2022 The Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality includes "gender identity" in its definition of gender; and it's the Citizens Assembly report which informs