Today in Ireland, thousands voted in a referendum that could force their government to introduce legislation that will legalize abortion for the first time since 1983. According to several exit polls, it looks as if pro-abortion forces have decisively delivered enough votes to overturn the country’s 8th amendment that bans abortion.
As previously noted on Townhall, “the Irish referendum is on article 40.3.3, better known as Ireland’s 8th amendment. This grants unborn babies as much of an equal right to life as the mother. In 1983, the country held a referendum which established this amendment....if Ireland votes to repeal that law, the government has promised to introduced legislation legalizing abortion with some limitations.”
Some predicted that rural voters would actually turn out in large numbers and keep the ban in place, but that clearly did not happen. After polls closed today, Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Multi-Media Organization, said exit polls indicate that the “yes” voters has won by a margin of 69.4% to 30.6%.
RTÉ exit poll on the Eighth Amendment projects: Yes 69.4% No 30.6%
— RTÉ (@rte) May 25, 2018
Another exit poll conducted by the Irish Times reinforced this prediction with estimates at 68% in favor repeal to 32% against.
Exit polls also indicated that women voted for the repeal of the 8th of Amendment by 72% where as men supported the repeal at 65%.
An exit poll has projected that 72% of women voted for repeal of the Eighth Amendment along with 65% of men https://t.co/hdjzBpBmD2 via @rtenews.
— RTÉ (@rte) May 25, 2018
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As noted by LifeSiteNews, this repeal will remove some of the safest protections for life in the womb around the world. "For decades, the Eighth Amendment has protected unborn babies and mothers equally in Ireland by recognizing that both are valuable human beings who deserve a right to life. More than 100,000 Irish unborn babies and mothers have been spared from the pain and death of abortion, thanks to the constitutional protection," writes LifeSite's Steven Ertlet.
If today's exit polls hold true, it indicates a seismic shift in the opinions of Irish voters. in 1983 when the 8th amendment was originally introduced, 67% of Irish voters were in favor of the ban on abortion.
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