Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the third report from the Constitutional Convention. I attended all the sessions, bar one, which was useful in understanding the tone of the different issues debated. All convention participants will agree the debate on same-sex marriage was exceptional.

I was critical of the convention at the start because of the limit on the number of issues with which it could deal. However, having participated in it, it found it to be a good initiative. In the case of same-sex marriage, there was sizeable support for change to the existing constitutional provisions.

The Minister said one of the key issues when this proposal is considered by the public will be the issue of children.

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