Madam, - We are on the threshold of what may prove to be the beginning of real equality for lesbian and gay couples in Ireland. The brave challenge that Drs Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan have brought before the High Court raises real questions about how we, the people of Ireland, value all of our citizens - questions that go beyond just the tax code issues that fail to recognise them as a legally married couple.
Is the Constitution of 1937 caught in the permafrost of the values of 1937, or are we courageous enough to recognise how diverse our families and communities have become?
If the Constitution is to be valued as a living document, the onus is on all of us to ensure that legislators do not exclude, divide or commodify us.
This groundbreaking case has created links and sparked a flame among political, social and queer activists across the country who recognise that now is the time for civil society and those with power to ensure that security and fairness, justice and equality are conceptualised and realised for all of us who are being marginalised.
The Proclamation of the Republic sought to "guarantee religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens", and declared its resolve "to pursue the "happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all of its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past".
As 21st-century Ireland continues to grow and develop, will we shrink from the responsibilities that are upon us, or will we embrace the past's desires and designs with the openness to which Connolly and his comrades aspired?
In the spirit of fairness and equality, we sincerely hope that the courage and conviction displayed by Katherine and Ann Louise in bringing the strength of their marriage to court is matched by a collective appreciation of humanity. - Yours, etc,
RACHEL MATHEWS-MCKAY, RICHIE KEANE, Co-Chairs, Labour LGBT, Dublin 2.
Madam, - Prof William Reville uses the assertion that "there is very significant evidence that both children and parents fare best in stable married families" to dismiss the idea of "same-sex couple famil[ ies]" (Science Today, September 28th).
The most recent comprehensive review of the literature pertaining to the effect on children of same-sex families was conducted by the US Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health in 2002. It concluded that children who "grow up with one or two gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, social and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual".
This review was published in Paediatrics, the premier paediatric journal in the world, according to the 2005 journal citation ranking of the Institute for Scientific Information.We challenge Prof Reville to present his "significant evidence" from similar reputable journals. We were unable to find support for his conclusion.
However, in light of the published evidence highlighted above, could it in fact be that Prof Reville is endorsing the opening of civil marriage to same-sex couples given that, as he states, children fare best in stable married families? - Yours, etc,
MARK McCARRON, PAUL KENNY, The Children's Research Centre, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12.