Ireland yesterday became the first nation to approve same-sex marriage by a popular vote, sweeping aside the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church in a resounding victory for the gay rights movement and placing the country on a path of social change, the NY Times website reports today (May 23, 2015).
The vote was almost two to one in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.
Turnout was large -- more than 60 percent of the 3.2 million people eligible to vote cast ballots.
Not long ago, the vote in the predominantly Roman Catholic country would have been unthinkable. The Catholic Church still dominates the education system and abortion remains illegal, except when a mother's life is at risk. Nonetheless, the influence of the church in Ireland has declined significantly amid scandals in recent years, while attitudes -- particularly among the young people -- have become more permissive and secular.
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