Media Minister Catherine Martin is “simply wrong” about what the Constitution says in the context of the upcoming referendums, according to the chairwoman of the Irish State’s official disinformation watchdog.
Earlier this month, the Green Party Minister was the subject of criticism after she said on social media that the Irish Constitution says “a woman’s place is in the home.”
It's not reflective of today's society for our constitution to say that a woman’s place is in the home.
Diverse families deserve equal recognition in our constitution.
A yes-yes vote in both referendums will help create a more equal & inclusive society in Ireland #VoteYesYes https://t.co/c8wb0x3q6c
— Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) February 9, 2024
“It’s not reflective of today’s society for our constitution to say that a woman’s place is in the home,” the Minister said on X.
Weeks prior to this, however, Supreme Court Justice Marie Baker – who is the chairwoman of the Irish State’s Electoral Commission – had already confirmed that this is not the case.She stressed that the Constitution merely said that mothers provide an “important support” to society and shouldn’t “have to go out to work” due to “economic necessity.”
Notably, the Electoral Commission was set up specifically by Martin’s government to combat misinformation and disinformation during electoral events. Reacting to Martin’s comments in an interview with the Irish Mail On Sunday over the weekend, Justice Baker accused politicians of engaging in “political rhetoric” and said the Minister was “simply wrong.”
Supreme Court Judge and Chair of the Electoral Commission, Marie Baker, clarifies the Constitution does not say "a woman's place is in the home," but merely that mothers provide an "important support" to society and shouldn't "have to go out to work" due to "economic necessity." pic.twitter.com/DNpmnWraZ1
— gript (@griptmedia) January 26, 2024
“She’s wrong,” the Judge said. “[The Constitution] says something much more positive than that. It says something that is a more positive statement of values. It says that the work women do in the home provides an important support to the common good of society.” She said that while there was “political rhetoric” circulating a certain narrative, this narrative was not, in fact, correct. “You don’t have to blow it up into big language about disinformation or misinformation,” she said.
"Can't answer a simple question, when you're literally regulating truth itself": In a slightly heated exchange, @Ben_Scallan questions Ireland's Media Minister Catherine Martin about the EU's Digital Services Act, which aims to censor alleged "misinformation" online.#gript pic.twitter.com/KYmuIDTHgj
— gript (@griptmedia) August 25, 2023
“We can say…that’s not what the Constitution says. The Constitution doesn’t say women’s place is in the home. “There’s a certain political rhetoric going around, but the Constitution simply doesn’t say that.” Minister Martin has spearheaded the regulation of online “misinformation” through organisations like the Media Commission, and has frequently spoken about the importance of combat false info.
In December of last year, the Minister told the Dáil of the importance of cracking down on misinformation to protect “our liberal democratic values.”
“This is progress…in the interests of the Irish people”: Ireland’s Minister for Media, Catherine Martin, has said that her government’s hate speech bill and crackdowns on “misinformation” are needed to protect “our liberal democratic values.”#gripthttps://t.co/Au0tD9Ruum
— gript (@griptmedia) December 6, 2023