Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s first openly gay prime minister, admitted defeat on Saturday as the nation rejected by referendum two amendments that would have altered the language around women and motherhood in the country’s constitution.
The Irish constitution currently recognizes the importance of the role of women in the home in creating a stable environment for the children and the family unit. In support of this, the constitution says the government shall “endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.”
Critics of the current constitution say that the language is sexist, old-fashioned and patriarchal. Supporters say that it merely recognizes the importance of women in the family and seeks to protect mothers and the family unit by not placing expectations on them to work in any way that would be detrimental to their home life.
The first proposed amendment would have changed the language from recognizing marriage as the basis “on which the family is founded,” to saying families are founded on “marriage or on other durable relationships.”It was rejected by 67% to 32%.
The second proposed amendment would have removed the language about the woman’s place in the home and delete the passage saying they should not be obligated to work if it neglects their home life. It would then add an additional passage saying the government will try to support the “provision of care by members of a family to one another.” It was rejected by 73% to 26%.
Ireland rejects wokeness.
Ireland proved today that it is mostly a conservative country, and that the government and most of its political parties are completely out of step with the public.
The public overwhelmingly voted “no” to wokeness. The referendums proposed changes to… pic.twitter.com/bV5muKZSSe
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 10, 2024
In what resembles an attitude of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” the results also reflected voters’ cautious attitude towards the language change. Many said they were in fear of unintended consequences, as advocates for those with disabilities felt the change could negatively impact the duty of the government to provide care.
However, what is not mentioned in the mainstream press is that the “no” vote is a win for preserving the nuclear family and protecting motherhood. In a time when far-left social radicals wish to alter and change anything that supports the core values that protect the stability of civilization, it is an encouraging sign to see voters cast their lots for grounded societal ideals.
