Ireland does not currently allow access to civil marriage for its gay and lesbian citizens.
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Ireland does not currently allow access to civil marriage for its gay and lesbian citizens.
The Civil Partnerships Bill (2008) was presented to the Cabinet on 24 June 2008. It is expected to complete the parliamentary process by mid 2009 at the latest.
Although most LGBT advocacy groups cautiously welcomed the Government’s legislation, there have been criticisms of the proposals. One major criticism states that the legislation effectively enshrines discrimination in law insofar as separate contractual arrangements with greater privileges will continue to exist for opposite-sex marriages concurrent to lesser arrangements for those wishing to take out Civil Partnerships. In particular, the denial of adoption rights to couples with a Civil Partnership has been cited as particularly discriminatory.