This Friday, voters across Ireland will be deciding on whether to ratify The Marriage Equality Bill of 2015 which passed with overwhelming majorities in the Dail (Ireland’s Parliament). If the bill passes then Ireland will become the first country to legalize same sex marriage through a national referendum. The polls currently show the “yes” campaign in the lead. The Catholic Church, which opposes the bill, has avoided weighing in too heavily on the issue leaving most of the “no” campaign to lay Catholics and other outside groups. Even though 85% of the Irish population still self-identify as Roman Catholic, polls are showing strong support for marriage equality among the public.
See Peter Foster, Ireland Gay Marriage Referendum: What You Need To Know, The Telegraph, May 19, 2015.
Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.
