Politico-social issue! Win for the public! Ireland’s abortion ban repealed amidst support from celebrities!
The Ireland abortion ban
Ireland had the world’s most strict laws when it came to abortion. It was in line with Catholic Church teachings and beliefs.
Abortion was permitted only if the woman’s life was in danger but was not allowed for cases of rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomaly.
This left little choice to women as regards their reproduction. This was not liked by many and there was a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment of the abortion laws.
The referendum asked for people’s opinions on the issue and whether the abortion ban should be lifted. On Saturday, the country voted for the repeal or otherwise of the abortion laws.
The voting day and celebrities
Many of the Irish as well as the non-Irish celebrities supported the repealing of the abortion ban. Irish celebrities such as Cillian Murphy, Saoirse Ronan, and the musician Hozier have been campaigning for the past month and supported the repealing of the ban. Irish citizens around the world had headed back home to cast their vote in the referendum.
The situation reminded people of how there was an influx of Irish citizens to Ireland when a referendum was passed to vote for the legalization of gay marriages in Ireland in the year 2015.
The above Irish celebrities took to social media to motivate the citizens to cast their vote and also support the repeal of the abortion ban.
An exit poll was conducted on Friday night which stated that 68% wanted the repeal of the ban whereas 32% were against it. In Dublin, the exit poll showed that 77% were in favor of repeal of the ban. In the age group of 18 to 24, it was 87% in favor of the repeal.
The results
Throughout the day, Irish reporters provided updates on the voter turnout and the vote on the mass media as well as on their Twitter handles. The Irish people were not to leave the non-Irish people behind; they offered words of solidarity instead.
The results showed that 66.4% of the people voted in favor of the repeal of the ban and only 33.6% of them stated that they were happy with the current strict abortion laws.
Celebrities celebrate
Irish celebrities took to social media after the results to express their happiness on it. Musician Lisa Hannigan was speechless after the results and wrote on her social media:
“I’ve no words,”
Her Twitter handle was overlaid with the logo ‘Together for YES’ as a pro-repeal campaign. Roisin Murphy stated:
“My country is brilliant!!”
She added:
“My country I love you.”
Actor Tatiana Maslany, the Canadian star of the BBC America drama Orphan Black also wrote on his Twitter:
“Go on, Ireland!!!!”
He also added the Irish flag and fist emojis in all 5 Unicode skin tones. Former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards tweeted:
“This is a victory that shows overwhelming public support for the ability of pregnant people to make their own health decisions.”
Thrilling news from #Ireland! This is a victory that shows overwhelming public support for the ability of pregnant people to make their own health decisions. #Repealthe8th https://t.co/IegESQZXpw
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) May 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/AlisonMoyet/status/99989877639012761
Hey Ireland, be as as great as I know you are… #Repealthe8h
— George Webster (@GeorgeWebster) May 24, 2018
I'm feeling the tension in Ireland all the way over here in London. Sending love and solidarity to all those women and men feeling anxious today. Wishing wishing for a yes. #Repealthe8h
— Annie Mac (@anniemacmanus) May 25, 2018
Ireland’s PM, Leo Varadkar labeled it as a historic day and said that a quiet revolution has taken place. He told crowds at the Dublin Castle:
“the result showed the Irish public “trust and respect women to make their own decision and choices.”
He added:
“It’s also a day when we say no more. No more to doctors telling their patients there’s nothing can be done for them in their own country, no more lonely journeys across the Irish Sea, no more stigma as the veil of secrecy is lifted and no more isolation as the burden of shame is gone.”
Only the Donegal constituency voted against the repeal of the 8th amendment. 51.9% of the people said they were against the change.
