Same-sex marriage is now legal in Republic of Ireland

[n2doc]

Source: BBC

Same-sex marriage has now become legal in the Republic of Ireland, after new legislation came into effect on Monday.

The law was passed after a referendum in May, when the Irish state became the first in the world to legalise same-sex civil marriage by popular vote.

It is not yet known when and where the first same-sex wedding will be held.

But the first people to be affected are same-sex couples who have already wed legally abroad. Their marriages are now automatically recognised by the state.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34810598

[RKP5637]

1. Yea !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

2. Awesome!

[uawchild]

3. Congratulations, Ireland! n/t

[Maeve]

4. Maith thu, a Erin!

Good on ya, Ireland!

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Wow....now, THAT is saying something.

Happily amazing.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. Wow, that was fast.

A lot faster than in this country.

Then again, I suspect that the heavy hand of the Catholic Church repeatedly overplayed its hand, especially with the torture of so many of its orphans, that the organization lost all cred, possibly forever. WHich is a good thing.

[patsimp]

7. It's good to welcome Ireland to the civilized world.

[polly7]

8. They also just decriminalized marijuana, heroin and cocaine. Ireland is going places! nt.

[mountain grammy]

10. Brave move..it's working in Portugal

A huge reduction in the numbers of addicts.

[polly7]

18. I agree, I think it's great.

They're also setting up medically-supervised injection rooms, which I think is one of the most important steps in truly helping addicts

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/11/04/3718843/ireland-drug-decriminalization/

[Sunlei]

15. They decriminalized marijuana? other drugs, I'm not sure about- but that is amazing news.

Wish America would -at least-, decriminalize marijuana. Such harm has been caused to so many millions of Americans over that plant.

[polly7]

19. Yes, getting them help instead of punishing them is doing far more good

for everyone than locking them away and destroying much of the rest of their lives.

Calling on a “radical” shift in drug policy, Ríordáin pointed to the public health implications of decriminalization and the extent to which national funds are spent on law enforcement and court efforts to crack down on drug use.

“Too often those with drug problems suffer from stigma, due to a lack of understanding or public education about the nature of addiction. This stigma can be compounded for those who end up with a criminal record due to possession of drugs for their own use,” he said. “Addiction is not a choice, it’s a healthcare issue. This is why I believe it is imperative that we approach our drug problem in a more compassionate and sensitive way.”

By decriminalizing the drugs, addicts are less likely to wind up behind bars and more likely to receive treatment. The minister cited research that treatment reduces both drug use and drug-related crime.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/11/04/3718843/ireland-drug-decriminalization/

Sorry n2doc, don't mean to hijack your thread - which is excellent news.

[merrily]

11. And the exceedingly long arc of the moral universe bends a bit more toward justice, at last.

[niyad]

12. nice bit of good news today.

[Sunlei]

13. If I didn't want to stay in the USA, Ireland is near the top of my list of places I'd like to live.

[amuse bouche]

14. Wonderful news

[MsJaneFuzzyWuzzy]

16. and some day women in Ireland will be recognized as human beings with rights too

Reproductive rights: the right to life and liberty.

Maybe those who have won recognition of their own rights will now join in the fight for women!

[murielm99]

20. In the early eighties,

condoms were illegal in Ireland. I don't know what birth control is allowed now. Has that changed? I always thought that was discrimination against women, forcing many of them to either forgo sex or risk pregnancy.

[Betty Karlson]

17. Good news. Always welcome. eom.