Irish voters have chosen decisively to repeal the Eighth Amendment from the Irish constitution in a landslide victory that opens the way for the introduction of regulated abortion services in Ireland writes the London–Irish Abortion Rights Campaign (LIARC).
Following an intense campaign that involved Irish people all around the world, an overwhelming majority of voters voted yes on Friday the 25 May’s historic referendum.
Hannah Little from LIARC commented, “This is a proud day for Ireland, the people of Ireland and the thousands of Irish people abroad who answered the call to come home to vote yes, who collectively said ‘no more’ to shame and fear, and who helped to begin a new era of tolerance, respect and openness for women in Ireland.”
The London–Irish Abortion Rights Campaign spearheaded “Home to Vote” which encouraged Irish people living abroad and eligible to vote, to return home to vote Yes. At least 40,000 Irish people in Britain and thousands more around the world were eligible to vote. The hashtag “Home to Vote” began to trend on twitter from Wednesday the 23 May as thousands of Irish voters started journeys from as far away as China and Australia.
Claire McGowran from the campaign commented, “Many people made journeys for Friday’s vote; some from an undecided position to Yes, some from London or Sydney or Berlin, some to every home in their village canvassing voters and for some women and couples the referendum meant reliving their painful, enforced journey abroad to seek healthcare denied to them at home.”
The Irish government must now begin the process of introducing legislation to allow for access to abortion services in Ireland as set out by the Health Minister Simon Harris earlier this year.
The London Irish Abortion Rights Campaign is calling for this process to urgently begin. “Change will not happen overnight; on average nine Irish women are still making their way today to the airport to travel to England to access abortion services.
“Irish people have decisively voted for this to stop and now our elected representatives must urgently agree legislation so no more women have to suffer as so many thousands have already,” commented Claire McGowran.
The removal of the Eighth Amendment in the Republic of Ireland means Northern Ireland is now the only part of the European Union—bar conservative Malta—where women are denied access to reproductive healthcare. UK minister Penny Morduant said it was a “historic” day for Ireland and a “hopeful one” for Northern Ireland.
“I want to assure women in Northern Ireland that they are forefront on our mind” said Hannah Little. “This success shows us that change is possible; we will continue to campaign so that all women on the island of Ireland are treated with the care and compassion they deserve.”