Mary Henry (Independent)

I am profoundly grateful to all the Senators who contributed in such a constructive manner on this debate. I am also grateful to the Minister of State for his remarks.

Let me cheer Members up. Marriage is still incredibly popular. The marriage rate in Ireland is approximately the same as it was in 1951. Far fewer people got married then because of poverty and other reasons. The outlook, as far as marriage is concerned, is cheerful. Most couples who can get married and who have a loving relationship with a companion look on marriage as a gold standard.

The Constitution does not propose something unnatural but something the majority of people seem to want eventually. While it is true that 90,000 family units are headed by single persons, 85% of whom are women, many of those single parents were already married and are either separated or divorced. Senator White is right that the children of such institutions must be carefully nurtured. This is very important. Approximately one third of the children born in this country are born outside marriage but about two thirds of those children are born to people in stable relationships. Many of those eventually marry which is what most of them want.

My reason for asking the Minister to address this issue — I was pleased with his reply — is to ensure greater stability in society, not less. People have obligations as well as rights. We must suggest to them that despite the fact that they have not made legal and, in some cases, religious promises to each other, they have the responsibilities of the companionship they may have had, as mentioned by Senator Mansergh also. This is important.

I am delighted that this debate arose at the same time as the debate on the rights and duties of cohabitees or cohabitants. I will send Mr. Justice Budd a copy of this extremely useful debate and I hope the Law Reform Commission will find it useful in its deliberations before bringing forward its paper.