Ms Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop:

I will introduce Ms Orla O'Connor and I thank the committee for inviting the National Women's Council of Ireland to speak about the referendum on Article 41.2, commonly referred to as the article on women in the home.

The NWCI is the national women’s representative organisation, representing more than 190 member organisations across Ireland. We sincerely thank the committee for deciding to provide the time for pre-legislative scrutiny and to discuss the issues surrounding the proposed referendum. We firmly believe this is necessary and will stand to us all in deciding how to approach changes to Article 41.2 in the best interests of women and society.

Over the years we have consulted with our members on constitutional matters including Article 41.2. More generally, the NWCI has advocated for a new constitution for a modern Ireland, which is centred on equality and rights of people in Ireland.