Bar Review - The Children of Civil Partners in Irish Law
Summary
by Justine Quinn
The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 heralded as "one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation to be enacted since independence" passed into law in July this year. The first Irish civil partnerships will take place this April. While legal recognition of same sex relationships is a tremendous step forward for Ireland, a great many countries from Argentina and Canada to South Africa and Spain have already extended full civil marriage to same sex couples. Indeed, seven EU member states have already done so. Whilst the passing of civil partnership legislation in Ireland was a cause for celebration there are significant lacunae in the Act. Civil partnerships are not equal, they don't travel, and the children of civil partners are not legally protected.
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