Milo;392968 wroteThis is not to say I think that the voters of Ireland made the wrong decision, because I do not, but I find it odd that the GOVERNMENT would put a supposed Human Right (marriage is a Right?) to a vote . . . why not just pass a Law?
Shockingly, I agree with Milo here. Putting any liberty issue to a popular vote is crazy, though I accept Mickey's point about any elected official not wanting to force a law on people that gets them turfed in the next election. I believe the right to marry is protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Though that document gets ignored on the regular by pretty much every country attached to it except Iceland.
Article 16, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
The UK is a signatory to this agreement, though so is the US and Canada, and all sorts of countries who didn't have same sex marriage for years and years. It's interesting to me that it leaves out sexuality but specifically mentions, race, nationality, and religion. You'd think for a human rights document they could just leave it at men and women. You know... humans.
Basically, the logic for me works like this. If human beings have rights and liberties, they get extended to everyone. To deny anyone those rights is to deny their humanity.*
I guess I should qualify by stating that where that liberty will be limited in some cases when conviction of a crime occurs.