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.
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.
"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?