Cathal BarryFianna Fáil TD Colm Keaveney has asked the State-funded Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) to justify their claim that same-sex marriage is a human right.
Mr Keaveney, who himself has “no ideological opposition” to same-sex marriage, has also written to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald seeking answers on whether the body can truly be neutral after it claimed same-sex marriage was a human right.
The Galway East TD’s move comes after the IHREC last week refused to answer questions from The Irish Catholic after an allegation that the body misled the public in the debate on same-sex marriage after allegedly ignoring a vital case.
A team of experts, including leading barrister Patrick Treacy and theologians Prof. Eamonn Conway and Dr Rik Van Nieuwenhove, accused the IHREC of ignoring a key ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) which they insist proves “there is no basis for the contention that same-sex marriage is a human right”.
Duty
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Mr Keaveney insisted the Government had a duty to protect the constitutional integrity of the May 22 referendum.
“What is at stake here is the integrity of the referendum. As we saw with the recent Children’s Rights Referendum, the courts found that the Government acted in an unconstitutional manner with regard to the referendum campaign. It is incumbent on the Government to protect the constitutional integrity of any referendum campaign, including one’s in which they have a strong ideological support for,” he said.
In questions submitted to Minister Fitzgerald, seen by this newspaper, Mr Keaveney asked the Justice Minister “does she find it unacceptable, from the point of view of completeness and the need to inform public debate on this important topic, that the IHREC makes no reference to this verdict of the Court of Human Rights?”
The TD also asked the Minster if she considered that “failure to mention this landmark ruling raises serious questions as to the neutrality of the IHREC on this issue?”
Mr Keaveney said he had submitted the questions “out of more than just a mere curiosity”.
“I think I have more than good reason for asking them. I don’t know what the response I will get may be but people can decide themselves what they wish to do with the information once I have it,” he said.