Courtney McGrailDear Editor, Notwithstanding the euphoria following the marriage referendum result on May 22, and the approval of this expressed by some writers in your letters page, and leaving aside specifically religious considerations, I believe any truly objective observer of the debate which preceded the vote would agree that the result was a victory for emotion and simplistic ideological dogmatism and slogans at the expense of reason, rationality, logic and common sense.
Presumably, for the sake of ‘equality’, the rules of consanguinity will now have to be applied to both opposite-sex and same-sex unions in spite of the self-evident fact that these are 100% irrelevant in the case of the latter. There is also the matter of consummation, impossible in the case of a same-sex union. These illustrate the fundamental absurdity of ‘marriage equality’ as between these two inherently different types of union – and no amendment to our own Constitution or decision of the United States Supreme Court can make it any less absurd.
Thankfully, our European partners Austria and Germany are not following the Irish (or the just-announced American) example. The former’s parliament has recently overwhelmingly rejected same-sex marriage, while in Germany Chancellor Merkel has indicated that same-sex marriage will not be introduced under her government.
As for majority opinion, American writer Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) had some very wise words here: “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Yours, etc.,
Hugh Gibney,
Athboy,
Co. Meath.