SEN. JIM Walsh has said that he and others who opposed the same-sex marriage referendum have to accept that will of the people now that it has been passed.
Speaking to the Echo Sen. Walsh said he understood why gay and lesbian people wanted to have constitutional recognition and that from speaking to such people over the weekend he got the impression that was at the heart of their overall concerns.
“I think that is what they were seeking most,” he said.
“An element of acceptance and inclusiveness and there is nothing at all wrong with that,” he added.
However, he went on to say there were other mechanisms through which that could have been done.
“I am not opposed to that in principle at all,” he said.
“I just think we could have dealt with it through amending Article 40 of the constitution rather than this,” he added.
“I was opposed to amending Article 41.”
Sen. Walsh went on to highlight his concerns for the future: “We have fundamentally altered that clause in the constitution and it will mean that some children will be deprived of a mother and father.”
He also said surrogacy is another area that is a cause for concern: “I do not believe the Government will stick to its line that surrogacy has nothing to do with this and that is a very serious area because there are medical and moral issues around it.”
Highlighting other countries where surrogacy is on the increase Sen. Walsh said: “In some ways surrogacy is a form of human trafficking.”
“It’s the only way, men in particular, can get children and I think this will follow,” he said.
Sen. Walsh also commented that in surrogacy there are issues for the women involved and that it puts them in a position of risk – especially where women from poorer countries are concerned.
Sen. Walsh also said he is concerned that primary school pupils will now be taught about homosexuality from a very early age: “In France, for example, there is a pattern where children are being taught that mothers and fathers don’t matter and that is very serious, almost revolutionary stuff, to be teaching very young children.”
“If they are being taught that at four and five years of age I wonder what type of society it will lead to in the future,” he said.
Sen. Walsh said that early on in the referendum debate some gay and lesbian organisations were advocating that small children should be taught about homosexual relationships: “There will come a time when children need to understand biology but at four years of age that’s not a good idea.”
Sen. Walsh also expressed concern that some people who voted in favour of the referendum might not have looked at it from every angle.
“Could it now lead to a situation where if a child is talking about his or her mother and father in school they could be reprimanded, or the parents consulted, because of equality law?”
However, he agreed that the people have made their decision: “The people have made the decision and I, along with all the other people who were opposed to this referendum, must accept it and I do, and I respect it.”
“I just think we need to monitor the unintended consequences of this that people might not want to see happen but could,” he said.
“If children are going to grow up with a different set of values then I have concerns that mothers and fathers will not matter,” he added.
Sen. Walsh also highlighted the fact that if anyone dared oppose the referendum they were immediately branded as homophobic: “A number of people would not speak out against it because they would be branded homophobic. However, it’s through now and we must accept it as we move forward.”
