Ireland does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions and neither is there currently any kind of provision for unmarried cohabiting couples, whether homosexual or heterosexual.
On November 8, 2004, a lesbian couple, Louise Gilligan and Catherine Zapaonne, brought suit for the recognition of mo their marriage after being refused permission to file taxes jointly. They had been legally wed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (see Same-sex marriage in British Columbia) in September 2003, and then relocated to Ireland. [1] The next day, Judge Liam McKechnie of the High Court permitted their suit to proceed to a hearing. [2] They will argue that the ban on same-sex marriage violates the 1937 Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Irish constitution specifically states that the institution of marriage is to be protected, but does not define what it recognises marriage as:
- Article 41
- 1° The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of marriage, on which the family is founded, and to protect it against attack.
A civil union policy is under discussion; see civil unions in Ireland.
The Irish government are expected to announce new legislation to make way for same sex unions in mid-2006.
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