Yes Equality welcomes the publication of draft Marriage Equality enabling legislation

11 Mar 2015

Yes Equality Press Release

Wednesday 11 March 2015

Yes Equality: The Campaign for Civil Marriage Equality, the official Yes campaign for the upcoming referendum on civil marriage equality, has today (Wednesday 11 March 2015) welcomed the publication yesterday (Tuesday 10 March 2015) of draft legislation, setting out the changes to required should the marriage equality amendment be approved by the people on 22 May.

Changes set out in the general scheme of the Marriage Bill 2015 include removing the current ban on same-sex couples marrying in the 2004 Civil Registration Act, a range of adjustments to terminology in various pieces of legislation, as well as the discontinuation of the civil partnership scheme, granting current civil partners the opportunity to upgrade to marriage.

Speaking today, Yes Equality spokesperson Mark Kelly said:

“Yes Equality welcomes the publication of this draft legislation as a move towards ending the ban on loving gay and lesbian couples marrying in Ireland. The legislation clearly maps out the set of practical changes to our civil registration and other laws that will be necessary in the event that the people approve the marriage equality amendment.

“The publication is an important step, as we approach polling day on 22 May. It will provide further clarity to the electorate as to the practical changes to our law that a Yes vote will usher in, ensuring that they are fully informed when they go to the polls.

“We welcome the clarity the publication of this legislation brings, as we embark on a national conversation on civil marriage equality, and its importance to our friends, families and loved ones, over the coming months.”

ENDS.

Further information is available from www.yesequality.ie

Media Contact:

Andrew Hyland, Head of Communications, 087 908 8322 / andrew@yesequality.ie

Jeanne McDonagh, Communications Coordinator, 087 246 9855 / jeanne@yesequality.ie

Walter Jayawardene, Communications Coordinator, 087 998 1574 / walter@yesequality.ie

NOTE

– The general scheme of the Marriage Bill 2015 was published yesterday (Tuesday 10 March 2015) and discussed in Dail Eireann by Minister Frances Fitzgerald yesterday evening. The draft legislation outlines a set of changes to current legislation which a Yes vote on Civil Marriage Equality would necessitate. This includes removing the current ban on same sex couples marrying in the 2004 Civil Registration Act, a range of adjustments to terminology in various pieces of legislation, as well as addressing the future status of Civil Partnerships.

– The draft legislation is available to view on the Department of Justice’s website at http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PB15000072

About Yes Equality

Yes Equality: The Campaign for Civil Marriage Equality is an Independent nationwide civic society group launched on March 9th 2015 with the sole aim of winning the Marriage Equality Referendum.

Yes Equality is an initiative of GLEN, Marriage Equality and the ICCL.
The nationwide Campaign is supported by a wide range of civil society organisations including trade unions, women’s groups, parents groups, all political parties, youth and student organisations, professional associations, local family resource centres, employers, children’s rights groups and LGBT groups across the country. There are already 33 Yes Equality groups – they are in every county in Ireland.

Yes Equality: The Campaign for Civil Marriage Equality is located in 34 Clarendon Street, Dublin 2.

The Campaign is registered with the Standards in Public Office Commission.