Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and the Labour Party all supported legislation that would have allowed stillborn babies to be classified as ‘non-binary’.
asserted
babies → support → non
The Government voted down the Non-Binary and Intersex Recognition Bill 2026, brought by Solidarity-People Before Profit, which proposed to establish a legal recognition for non-binary people by permitting an ‘X’ to be used on civil registrations.
asserted
X → vote → registrations
The Bill, supported by the leading left parties and some Independents, was defeated by 87 votes to 63, after it was opposed by the Government, which cited concerns it would ‘amend’ how births, stillbirths and deaths are recorded by the General Register Office.
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births → support → Office
It argued it would allow for a person registering a birth, and not a medical practitioner, to determine the sex of a person.
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person → argue → person
Currently, gender recognition certs can be issued to people aged 16 and over – but the Government believes the proposed legislation would have undermined this.
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legislation → issue → this
In the Dáil on Wednesday, People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said the legislation would ensure recognition for non-binary people – those who do not identify as male or female.
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who → say → people
‘My Bill proposes to give legal rights and recognition to non-binary and intersex people in Ireland, a small minority, but who face extreme invisibility, marginalisation, violence and discrimination,’ she said.
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she → propose → invisibility
‘Without legal recognition, a non-binary person is systematically discriminated against in accessing healthcare, legal documents, and their interactions with the State and society in general.’
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person → discriminate → general
She said ‘Ireland broke new ground’ in 2015 by allowing gender self-determination.
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Ireland → say → determination
However, since then she said progress has ‘utterly stalled’.
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progress → say → ?
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary told the Dáil he was ‘particularly concerned’ about proposed amendments, which could be recorded with an ‘X’ rather than ‘male’ or ‘female’.
uncertain
which → tell → X
‘The Bill does not clarify the process by which an existing medical determination of male or female could be amended to X when it is being registered.
uncertain
it → clarify → X
Civil registration records fulfil functions that are quite distinct from the recognition of a person’s gender identity,’ he said.
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he → fulfil → identity
Mr Calleary said the legislation could ‘affect the viability of gender data’ by the Central Statistics Office in measuring health and demographic indicators.
uncertain
legislation → say → indicators
The introduction of a legal requirement to allow people to be recognised within six months would place ‘significant costs’ across Government, he said.
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he → allow → Government
He said the Government ‘absolutely recognise that the question of legal recognition for people who wish to identify as non-binary is an important one’.
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who → say → people
But he added: ‘The question is whether this particular Bill provides an appropriate, workable and sufficiently considered way of addressing concerns, and it is the Government’s view that this Bill does not.
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Bill → add → concerns
It makes very significant changes with implications that extend well beyond the gender recognition system itself.’
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that → make → system
Ms Coppinger said parents ‘wouldn’t be forced to immediately choose between male and female’ on the birth certificate if their child is born with intersex characteristics.
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child → say → characteristics
‘Instead, the Bill would have introduced a third option of an X marker on the Gender Recognition Certificate, in addition to M (male) and F (female),’ she said.
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she → introduce → M
Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane said his party was supporting the legislation, explaining: ‘If someone is non-binary, should the State continue to insist they choose either “male” or “female” for the purposes of legal gender recognition?
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they → say → recognition
I do not believe it should, and that is why Sinn Féin will be supporting this Bill.’
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Féin → believe → Bill
Last year, Mr Cullinane apologised after describing a UK Supreme Court ruling that found the terms woman, man and sex are defined by a person’s biological sex as a ‘common-sense’ judgment.
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woman → apologise → judgment
Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney said: ‘I am irritated when forms will not accept the fada in my name.
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forms → say → name
I can only imagine how much harder it is when every time someone has to record their presence in the world they are faced with this binary worldview which forces itself upon them.’
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which → imagine → them
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín accused People Before Profit-Solidarity of ‘falling into the trap of so many left-wing parties across the world’ by ‘ignoring bread-and-butter issues of people they are supposed to serve’ and becoming ‘distracted by the latest intellectual fashion’.
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they → accuse → fashion
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we → accept → article
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