Jul 17, 2007Quickie Link: Recurrent Promises for Gay Couples to Get Equal Rights
By vanrozenheim
(Ireland) - Gay couples are to be given the same legal rights as other couples during the course of the current Dail, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed yesterday. Under a new civil partnership law, gay and co-habiting couples will be entitled to the same tax breaks, social welfare benefits, pension schemes and inheritance rights as married couples have now, he said. But opposition parties poured cold water on Mr Ahern's promises, claiming they have heard it all before. Labour's justice spokesman Brendan Howlin said the Fianna Fail-PD coalition voted down a private member's bill he introduced in the Dail last year that would legalise civil unions amongst gay couples. A spokesperson said: "Fianna Fail has broken every promise they've ever made on civil partnership and I have no reason to believe that this promise will be any different to the one that the Taoiseach made in April 2006."
