Cambridge union f lies students back to Ireland for abortion poll...‘ but only if they vote FOR it’
IRISH students at British universities are being offered bursaries to fly back to the Republic so they can vote ‘Yes’ to legalising abortion in the referendum this week.
Pro-choice student unions – including those at Cambridge and Oxford University – are offering up to £110 to Irish students to travel home and cast their vote as polls show this Friday’s result is far from certain.
An opinion poll yesterday revealed that at 47 per cent, those supporting the legalisation of abortions for pregnant women up to 12 weeks only had a narrow lead.
The Eighth Amendment of the Irish constitution gives equal right to life to both baby and mother – with an abortion allowed at an Irish hospital only if the baby poses a risk to the mother’s life.
Even if the pregnancy is the result of rape, pregnant women who are not at risk are forced to travel abroad for an abortion or face a jail sentence of up to 14 years.
As part of its ‘#HomeToV8te’ campaign, the National Union of Students – which ‘supports the right to choose’ – is urging student unions to help pay for Irish students to return home to vote on Friday.
It told its university branches that individuals could accept a political ‘donation’ of up to 126.97 euros, or approximately £110. Any more and the student would have to register as a ‘ third party’ under Ireland’s electoral law.
The NUS, which is funded by a range of private enterprises and member contributions, has set up a travel bursary to match student union contributions to a maximum of £55 per student.
Of those to take up the idea is Cambridge University student union – but only if the student intends to vote ‘Yes’ to decriminalising abortion, it has been reported.
The move was criticised by anti-abortion campaigners, who said student unions did ‘not speak for students as a whole’.
Dr Anthony McCarthy, from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: ‘ Using their funds to push for the destruction of unborn Irish babies, rather than offering positive support to pregnant students or other pregnant women to have their babies, reveals how little these unions care about genuine equality and genuine healthcare.’
A Sky Data poll revealed yesterday that less than half of voters in the Irish Republic – 47 per cent - support legalising abortion for all women up to 12 weeks pregnant, while 37 per cent opposed it.
The rounded figures also showed that 6 per cent said they preferred not to say, while 11 per cent said they did not know.
According to Cambridge University’s newspaper Varsity, its student union was offering a grant of up to £ 110 for nine students funded by WomCam, the NUS’s Women’s Campaign.
Seven of these places were taken by last Friday – but only for those voting yes, Varsity said.
Lola Olufemi, Cambridge University student union’s women’s officer, said: ‘WomCam has always and will always support the right to free, safe and legal abortion on demand as part of a wider reproductive justice framework.’
Oxford University student union also passed a motion unanimously to subsidise students up to £55 who can’t afford to travel home, taken from its discretionary fund.
Vice president Katy Haigh said the money was not dependant on how students would vote – but that as a ‘pro-choice organisation’ it ‘came from the perspective of facilitating pro-choice allies’. She told the student newspaper Cherwell the values behind the funding were ‘distinctly pro-choice’.
Meanwhile, Nottingham University’s student union said it was offering the same amount on a first- come, first- served basis to help students exercise their democratic right ‘regardless of your voting intentions’.
In a statement, it said: ‘We stand firmly with our sisters fighting for repeal. The bursary is open to all eligible Irish students regardless of their voting intentions and we actively encourage Irish students to exercise their democratic right in the coming weeks.’
Other student unions taking part include Goldsmiths University of London, the University of Birmingham, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
NUS women’s officer Hareem Ghani confirmed yesterday that it was subsidising the cost for students, but added that it had not restricted the money to those voting ‘Yes’, and anyone eligible to vote could access the bursary.
‘Genuine equality and healthcare’