Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators on all sides of the argument for their detailed contributions, in particular those Senators who spoke about the proposals to extend the values of our Constitution to ensure that it reflects families who have previously been excluded from the constitutional family and, indeed, society. In the past, non-marital families, single mothers in particular, were discriminated against and made to feel they were not part of Irish society. Thankfully, much of that has changed. It is important that everyone is listened to in the context of this debate and that we hear from those who are excluded right now. It was good to have the opportunity to hear from Senators McGreehan and Garvey, two Members of the Upper House whose relationships are not currently acknowledged as a constitutional family. People can refer to statutes and other pieces that give them legal protection, but the question is what that actually means to people. I have some sense of it because prior to 2015, my relationship could not be acknowledged as part of the constitutional family because I was not in a position to get married. I agree with Senator McDowell that marriage is important. I value marriage. That is why I fought really hard in 2015 to extend the institution of marriage.