Ireland tipped to repeal abortion ban by a landslide
DUBLIN: Traditionally Catholic Ireland looks set to “make history” by liberalising some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, the prime minister said, as votes in the hardfought referendum were counted.
The campaign to repeal a ban was predicted to win by a two-thirds majority, with an Irish Times poll of 4,000 saying the “Yes” camp was leading by 68% to 32%.
Another poll by national broadcaster RTE suggested an even bigger victory, with 69% to 30% backing reforms.
“Thank you to everyone who voted today. Democracy in action. It’s looking like we will make history tomorrow,” Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who backs the reform, said in a tweet.
The Irish Times survey suggested that women voted by 70% in favour of the proposal and 30% against.
Support among men was 65% prochoice and 35% anti-abortion.
People over 65, however, voted mostly against overhauling the current legislation, which only allows terminations in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.
Among the youngest voters, 18- to 24-year-olds, the poll found that 87% of respondents voted to allow abortion.
The exit poll showed “an overwhelming desire for change that nobody has foreseen”, wrote Irish Times deputy political editor Fiach Kelly.
“The victory for the ‘Yes’ campaign looks set to be neither narrow nor based on a few segments of Irish society. Rather, it will be carried high on the shoulders of a majority across the entire country,” he said.
Kelly pointed out that in the Connacht-Ulster constituency, traditionally seen as the most conservative region in the country, the exit poll indicated that 59% voted for change. He called it “the final casting off of old mores”.
Nearly 3.5 million voters were asked whether they wanted to overturn the ban after an emotional and divisive campaign. Results for different parts of the country are expected from 1100 GMT, with a final result to be announced later in the day at the counting centre in Dublin Castle.
“Will sleep tonight in the hope of waking up to a country that is more compassionate, more caring and more respectful,” Irish health minister Simon Harris wrote on Twitter.