Politics
Thursday October 5, 2006
Lesbian Couple Married in Canada File Suit for Recognition in Ireland
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Gudrun Schultz
DUBLIN, Ireland, October 5, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A lesbian couple attempting to force the Irish government to recognize their Canadian “marriage” filed suit Oct. 4, after a hearing before the Irish High Court in a pivotal case threatening the country’s traditional marriage law.
The two women, Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone, are seeking the same legal rights and tax exemptions as heterosexual married couples. The couple were “married” in British Columbia on Sept.13, 2003, under Canada’s new legislation permitting same-sex couples to legally wed.
Dr. Zappone is a public policy research consultant and member of the Human Rights Commission, while Dr. Gilligan is a professor at St. Patrick’s College, Dublin.
Irish law prohibits homosexual marriage while legislation creating civil partnerships for gay couples has been proposed in Parliament. The Irish government is opposing the Zappone and Gilligan suit under the 1937 constitution which demands the Republic “guard with special care the institution of marriage, on which the family is founded, and to protect it against attack.”
The case is the first instance of a homosexual couple seeking legal recognition in Ireland for a marriage obtained outside the country. Irish High Court Justice Liam McKechnie ruled in 2003 that the case could proceed to a hearing.
A UK High Court ruled against a similar petition by a British couple in July, refusing to overturn the country’s traditional definition of marriage for two lesbians “married” in Canada. The Court ruled that under British law the women’s union would be recognized as a civil partnership, under the Civil Partnership Act of 2004.
Zappone and Gilligan have indicated they expect to win their case in Ireland since the country has no civil-union law in place.
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
UK High Court Refuses to Recognize Canadian “Marriage”; Lesbians Will Appeal to EU Court
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jul/06073105.html
Irish Lesbians Using Canadian “Marriage” to Impose Same-Sex “Marriage” on Ireland
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/aug/06080405.html
Gay 'Marriage' Court Challenge Coming to Ireland Courtesy of Canada
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/nov/04110902.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- "Manhattan Declaration" Embodies U.S. Christian Pushback against Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Hoffman Loses Final Tally of NY-23 Race; Alleges ACORN Tampering and Fraud
- Abortion Activist Judge Hamilton Confirmed with Help of Ten Republican Senators
- CDC Reverses Gardasil Vaccine Requirement for Immigrants
- Germany Faces Economic Downturn with Plummeting Birth Rate and Aging Population
- CCHD in Archdiocese of Chicago Says it is Working to Fix Problems
- Rejection of Washington DC Marriage Referendum Challenged With Legal Suit
- Obama-Supporting Homosexual Activist to Out Sexually Involved Priests Unless they Support Gay 'Marriage
- Austrian Catholic Bishops Issue Bland Response to Govt's Homosexual Partnership Bill
- Interim Report on Catholic Sex-Abuse Says "Homosexual Identity" Not a Predictor of Sex Abuse
- Commentary on Nov 20 NewsBytes
- LSN NewsBytes - US Health Care Reform
- LSN NewsBytes - Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
- LSN NewsBytes - Life Issues, Religion, Swine Flu, US Politics, Sarah Palin, Miscellaneous
- LSN NewsBytes - Climate Change/Global Warming
- 59 Bishops Contributed Financially to Maine Bishop's Effort to Oppose Maine Same-Sex "Marriage" Law
- Pro-Abortion Lawmakers Shower Praise on Senate Bill's Phony Abortion Compromise
Most Read this Week
- Largest U.S. Homosexual Publisher Shuts Down, Closing Major Gay Newspapers
- EWTN's Arroyo Hosts Reform CCHD Reps Who Reveal Shocking Evidence Against USCCB Anti-Poverty Arm
- Italian Mayors Order Crufixes Put in Classrooms in Revolt against European Court Ruling
- Nat'l Organization for Marriage Responds to Miss California "Sex Tape" Scandal
- Obama Evades Questioning on Stupak Amendment in FOX Interview
- French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of "Unreasonable Obstinacy" in Saving Newborn's Life
- EU Leaders to Choose President today in Secret "Soviet Style" Meetings
- Hoffman "Unconcedes" Battle for NY-23: Recount Provides Hope for "Miracle" Victory
- CCHD Responds to Reform Movement
- "Manhattan Declaration" Embodies U.S. Christian Pushback against Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.