Northern Ireland Assembly Blocks Gay Marriage Motion

File:Northern Ireland outline.svg
The only country in the United Kingdom not to allow gay marriage is Northern Ireland, and it doesn't look set to change anytime soon.

On Monday, the country's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) blocked a motion calling for civil equality on marriage. It is the fourth time that such a motion has been defeated by the DUP.

 Insisting that a marriage is only possible between a man and a woman, The DUP believe that trying to change the definition of marriage, to alter it to mean something else, is wrong.

 Irish Republican Party, Sinn Fein, however, disagrees. It was their party that brought the debate forward and they remain wholly supportive and committed to establishing equal marriage throughout Northern Ireland. 

 96 members of the Legaslative Assembly (MLA) took part with 49 voting against. 

 The problem however, is that the DUP is the largest party in Northern Ireland. How can anyone hope to change the law in favour of gay marriage, when the very people preventing it are the ones most well placed in power to do so? 

 In an interesting side note,  it was on previous Friday that the Health Minister for Northern Ireland, Jim Wells, was forced to make a public apology after he was caught on camera linking child abuse to gay parenting. He has since announced his resignation.

The debate maybe over, the motion may have been blocked, but I think this fight is far from finished.




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