The National Women’s Council of Ireland has renewed its call for a ‘Yes Yes’ vote in the upcoming Friday referendums, arguing that this will be an opportunity for the Irish people to show their “commitment” to an “inclusive” society.
Responding to the latest Sunday Independent poll, four of the lead NGOs calling for a ‘Yes Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendums, including the National Women’s Council, Treoir, One Family and Family Carers Ireland, said that “this is the week when many people will really engage with the referendums” on and “make up their minds on how to vote.”
“These referendums affect us all,” the group said in a statement.
“As Irish people, we are proud of our tradition of referendums which paved the way for important progress in terms of equality and women’s rights in recent years.
“On Friday the Irish people have another opportunity to vote ‘Yes Yes’ and demonstrate their commitment to continue our campaign for a more inclusive, a more caring Ireland.”
Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council, said that the referendums had produced an “important” debate on key issues.
“As Mary McAleese said this week when she came out in support of ‘Yes Yes’ – the ‘referendums on March 8th are part of a journey, not a destination’. And we need to take this step if we want the journey to continue,” she said.
“We have seen how the referendums have generated important debates on family and care that are really welcome. If we vote ‘yes,’ this will create the framework for these discussions to continue. A ‘yes yes’ vote will provide the political platform for us as civil society organisations to put pressure on the Government to deliver the practical supports and services that we know are so desperately needed for families, for disabled people, for older people, for carers, and for women.”
She added: “Voting ‘Yes Yes’ is our chance to say very clearly as a country that there is no place for sexism in our Constitution, and that we believe a woman’s place is wherever she wants it to be.”