1,000 signatures reached
To: Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys
Fairness and equality for unmarried families
Address the inequality between married and unmarried families by supporting the Social Welfare (Surviving Cohabitants Pension) Bill
Why is this important?
Having recently lost my partner of near twenty years and being left to be the sole provider of our three children I have discovered that I am not entitled to the same supports as my married counterparts.
Unmarried families are not recognized under our constitution and are therefore not offered the same protection from the state.
The state treats cohabiting couples as a family unit for taxation and means testing purposes yet it will not accept cohabitation when there is a bereavement.
Modern society does not allow for people to live the way they did when the constitution was written due to the challenges people have to face both financially and personally.
I am calling on the Government to address the definition of the Family where marriage is concerned and also to address the families that have been left out of the widow/widower pension due to there status not being accepted by the state.