No scope for complacency - Yes Yes campaigners emphasises importance of votes on the 8th March

Published: Sunday, February 25, 2024

No scope for complacency - Yes Yes campaigners emphasises importance of votes on the 8th March  

Press Release, 25th February 2024 – For immediate release  

Responding to the latest Sunday Business Post poll in relation to the family and care referendums, four of the leading civil society organsiations calling for Vote Yes Yes, One Family, Treoir, National Women’s Council (NWC) and Family Carers Ireland, have today (25th February 2024) welcomed the ongoing strong support for both referendums. With only 12 days to go until polling day, campaigners will ramp up activities, canvasses and events across the country over the coming days.  

Damien Peelo, CEO of Treoir said,  

“The referendums on the 8th March are an historic opportunity to shape our future and the future of our children. The family referendum is our chance to recognise all families equally, while still protecting marriage. A yes vote will give Constitutional protection to lone parent families, kinship carers where relatives have stepped in to raise children, unmarried families and cohabiting couples.” 

Orla O’Connor, Director of NWC said, 

A Yes vote in the care referendum is our chance to remove sexist language and limits on women from our Constitution. We encourage all voters to really think; do we want our young women and girls growing up in an Ireland where the Constitution still tells them that their primary place, indeed their ‘life’ is in the home? And that they have ‘duties’ and the boys and men don’t?  Voting yes on the 8th March will be a long step away from this dark past and a small step towards recognising the importance of care and the care roles of both women and men in our Constitution. While the proposed wording should have gone further, this will give us and other civil society organisations a real platform to campaign for the practical supports and changes in relation to care that we so urgently need. 

 We know that we cannot be complacent. With the support of the growing number of civil society organisations, including Irish Congress of Trade Unions, SpunOut, Family Resource Centre National Forum, and many others who have joined the call for Yes Yes, we will be talking to voters across the country and encourage everyone to come out and vote Yes Yes on 8th March.” 

Find out more about Vote Yes Yes on www.yesyes.ie  

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For more information, please contact Vicky Masterson, NWC, Tel. 087 1000385.