Pressure groups plan legal action to redefine marriage in NI
Amnesty International and a homosexual activist group have announced plans to collaborate in attempting legal action to force same sex ‘marriage’ on Northern Ireland.
If the UK government passes laws redefining marriage, the laws would not apply in Northern Ireland, similar to the way in which the UK’s 1967 Abortion Act does not apply there.
“Obligation”
But Patrick Corrigan, program director for Amnesty International in Northern Ireland, told the Guardian newspaper that as Northern Ireland is a UK territory, it must recognise legislation passed by the state.
He said: “That obligation is clear in international law. This means marriage should be available to same sex couples in Northern Ireland just as soon as it will be to couples in other parts of the UK.”
Along with the Rainbow Project, an activist group, Amnesty plan to take legal action against the Northern Irish government “on the basis of inferior treatment of same sex couples in Northern Ireland with regards to the right to marry and found a family.”
“No demand”
Finance Minister Sammy Wilson said in October that there was “no widespread demand across society” for a redefinition of marriage in Northern Ireland.
Wilson also expressed great concern that a change in the law would threaten religious freedoms, saying: “for example, church youth groups could be banned from using council facilities”.
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