INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A mural of Savita Halappanavar put up on the day of the Abortion Referendum in Dublin.
Ireland will hold an historic referendum on liberalising its abortion law, considered one of the
The referendum vote to repeal the ban in this traditionally Catholic country was predicted to win by a two-thirds majority.An Irish Times
poll of 4,000 said the "Yes" camp was leading by 68 percent to 32 percent
Another poll by national broadcaster RTE suggested an even bigger victory, with 69 percent to 30 percent backing reforms.The abortion
campaign had gathered steam after an Indian-origin woman died in 2012 after her requests to terminate a 17-week pregnancy were denied by the
Savita Halappanavar has now become the face of the campaign in Ireland.Ms Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian-origin dentist, had sought a
pregnancy termination when told she was miscarrying, but the request was turned down due to Ireland's then strict anti-abortion laws
She died of blood poisoning days after miscarrying in October 2012.The Irish Times survey suggested that women voted by 70 percent in favour
of the proposal and 30 percent against
Support among men was 65 percent pro-choice and 35 percent anti-abortion."Thank you to everyone who voted today
It's looking like we will make history tomorrow," Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who backs the reform, said in a tweet.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, 18-24-year-olds, the poll found that 87 percent 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
Connacht/Ulster, traditionally seen as the most conservative region in the country, the exit poll indicated that 59 percent 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 main counting centre in Dublin Castle.People arriving at polling stations from the early morning spoke
about the momentousness of a complex decision that in many cases pitted moral against religious beliefs.Ireland has traditionally been one
of the most religious countries in Europe
However, the Roman Catholic Church's influence has waned in recent years following a series of child sex abuse scandals.The referendum came
three months before a visit by Pope Francis for the World Meeting of Families and three years after Ireland voted to legalise same-sex
marriage despite the Church's opposition."The fact that it's illegal for somebody in Ireland to seek medical treatment, having to travel
outside the country and to feel that guilt, shame and isolation, it's absolutely shocking," said Belinda Nugent, 43, a community activist
voting in north Dublin."I took it really personally, this vote."But across the city, Finbar O'Regan, 50, said he wanted a "good, strong No
vote".The unemployed Dublin voter said his mother had been sent to England to have him born and adopted."I'm a staunch No
It's the life of an unborn baby
I'm one of the lucky ones," he said.170,000 womenAt present Ireland's eighth amendment -- which could be repealed in the vote -- recognises
the "right to life of the unborn" with an "equal right to life of the mother".Canvassers were out on the city's streets holding up signs and
wearing t-shirts with campaign slogans
One in southwest Dublin offered hugs to people who voted in favour of repealing the ban.The eighth amendment to the Irish constitution was
installed following a 1983 referendum which approved outlawing abortion.Anyone terminating a pregnancy in Ireland could face 14 years in
jail.The ban has led to thousands of women travelling each year to neighbouring Britain, where terminations are legal, or increasingly
turning to abortion pills sold online.Since 1983, around 170,000 Irish women have gone abroad for terminations.The law was tweaked in 2013
to allow terminations if the mother's life is at risk.The Irish government has proposed that if the eighth amendment is repealed, abortion
will be allowed up to 12 weeks and between 12 and 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.
