It Looks Like Ireland Has Voted Overwhelmingly In Favour Of Decriminalising Abortion
Early exit polls point to a landslide victory.
Early exit polls in the Irish referendum on abortion are pointing to a landslide victory for women’s reproductive rights.
At the time of reporting, exit polls show that a staggering 69 percent of people voted in favour of repealing the eighth amendment to the Irish constitution, paving the way for the legalisation of abortion. In technical terms, that kind of margin is what we refer to as a paddlin’.
RTÉ exit poll on the Eighth Amendment projects: Yes 69.4% No 30.6%
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) May 25, 2018
Exit polls indicate that the highest Yes vote was in Dublin, with 77 percent. But even in rural Ireland, where support was expected to be far lower, 60 percent of people voted Yes.
Unsurprisingly, young people were overwhelmingly in favour of repealing the amendment, with 87 percent of voters aged 18-24 casting their ballot for reform.
Exit polls showing 68% in favour of repeal, with 71% women in favour and a HUGE 87% of 18-24 y/o repealing the 8th. SO SO proud to be a young woman in Ireland today
— the wee pixie (@maryd668) May 25, 2018
That exit poll has 87% of 18-25s voting to repeal. Amazing what changes can come from young people voting.
— Stig Abell (@StigAbell) May 25, 2018
The eight amendment, introduced in 1983, enshrined in Irish law the equal right to life of a mother and her unborn child. Its repeal will mark a significant victory for women’s rights in a country that only legalised divorce in 1995.
(Then again, they did vote to legalise same-sex marriage more than two years before we did, so people in glass houses probably shouldn’t throw stones).
In the lead-up to the vote on abortion, thousands of Irish people living abroad flew home so they could cast their ballot, sharing their stories using the hashtag #HomeToVote.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said earlier this week that should the Yes vote win, he will introduce legislation later this year allowing for abortion up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.
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Feature image via Paula Kehoe/Twitter