Ireland's prime minister vows to legalize partnerships for gay couples

Ireland will legalize civil partnerships for gay couples, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern pledged on Monday as he opened new offices for the country's leading gay rights group. Civil partnerships, legalized in the United Kingdom last year, afford many of the rights of marriage to gay and lesbian couples.

"Sexual orientation cannot and must not be the basis of a second-class citizenship," Ahern told an audience at Ireland's Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. "Our laws have changed and will continue to change to reflect this principle,"

Ahern said it would be more difficult to legalize same-sex partnerships in Ireland than it was in the United Kingdom, which approved the unions in December. Ireland's constitution has a clause requiring the predominantly Roman Catholic state to protect the institution of marriage, whereas the U.K., which includes neighboring Northern Ireland, has no written constitution.

"This challenge, however, is one that the government is determined to meet. We are committed to legislating on this issue," said Ahern, who noted that a government-appointed group of experts would recommend several possible options in a report expected in November. "Although there is a growing climate of equality and support for antidiscrimination action, I also recognize that members of the gay community still face isolation, abuse, and victimization on the basis of their sexuality," Ahern added. (AP)

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