LEGAL HUMANIST WEDDINGS IN IRELAND – NEARLY A REALITY!

What an exciting week it’s been!  After many years of campaigning we are nearing our goal of gaining legal status for Humanist weddings in Ireland.

After years of disappointment and being left out in the cold we eventually began to think that we might achieve this ambition when Fianna Fail lost power early last year and Labour formed part of the new administration.  We engaged with Labour who understood and agreed with our agenda.

Ivana Bacik, who is the perfect combination of Lawyer/Senator/Atheist, was our champion.  She introduced an amendment to the 2004 Civil Registration Bill in the Seanad in November 2011.  This passed second stage in the Seanad on 10^th November.

Since November the technical aspects of the amendment have been worked on to meet the requirements of both the Government and the Chief Registrar.  The law as it stood (indeed as it still stands pending completion of this legislation) allows only state registrars and representatives from religious bodies to conduct legal marriage ceremonies.  The question was: should the Humanists be “named” in the Bill or should it be a general group that would include the Humanists?  After much to-ing and fro-ing the decision was made to allow “philosophical non-confessional” groups, who satisfied certain requirements, to be added to those who could conduct legal ceremonies.  This phrase was plucked from the Lisbon Treaty and seemed to fit the bill in this case.

The requirements are that such a group must have as part of its purpose the conducting of wedding ceremonies.  They must have been conducting these ceremonies for at least five years and be able to demonstrate that at least twenty couples have had such ceremonies, one of which must have been over five years ago; these couples must also have had legal ceremonies.  These requirements can be met by the HAI but not, at present, by any other group.  So, whereas the bill is not exclusive to Humanists, in effect as of now it is.

The Bill came before the Seanad for its final stages on Wednesday of this week and passed unopposed.  Fifteen members of the HAI were in the public gallery and there was a great feeling of Ireland growing up and becoming something of a real republic.

The Bill must go before the Dail but, following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, full government support is assured and the safe passage of the Bill is, we are told, a foregone conclusion.  The ambition is that it will be law before the politicians go on their long summer holidays.

If they have completed this piece of legislation to our satisfaction I think we’ll gladly let them have their holiday!

Brian Whiteside