In a recent series of referendums in the Republic of Ireland, voters rejected proposed changes to the Irish Constitution regarding family and care. The results showed that 67.7% of voters rejected proposals to include families not based on marriage in the constitution, while 73.9% rejected changes to the role of women in the home in the constitution.
The constituency of Donegal had the highest number of ‘no’ votes on the family referendum, while Dún Laoghaire narrowly voted in favor of changing the definition of family. Waterford was the last to declare results for the care referendum.
Following the announcement of the results, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and tánaiste Micheál Martin accepted the defeat of the referendums. Turnout for the referendums was 44.36%, lower than the turnout for the 2018 abortion referendum, which saw turnout at 64.1%.
Despite the significance of the results, there were no big crowds or celebrations at Dublin Castle. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald criticized the government for a lack of clarity on the proposed amendments, while Senator Michael McDowell stated that the government misjudged the mood of the electorate.
Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín described the amendments as government “virtue signalling,” while Senator Tom Clonan called the wording in the care referendum “toxic” to the fundamental human rights of disabled citizens.
Overall, voters were asked to accept or reject the Family amendment to expand the constitutional definition of family, as well as the Care amendment to address the role of women in the home in the constitution. The rejection of these proposed changes marks a significant outcome for the Irish electorate.
