#8thRef - The final day: 'Once in a lifetime vote' - Together for Yes; 'It's too extreme' - LoveBoth
Campaign groups on both sides of the abortion debate are continuing to make their last minute appeals to the electorate ahead of tomorrow's vote.
Members of the Oireachtas, volunteers and barrister Benedict Ó Floinn BL gathered in Kidlare Street this morning to highlight what the Love Both campaign group described as the far reaching, and extreme abortion legislation planned by the Government if it wins in tomorrow’s referendum vote.
Mr Ó Floinn said the government has plans to introduce the most far-reaching abortion laws any Irish government has ever proposed in the history of the state.
"This included abortion on demand up to 12 weeks, abortion on vague mental health grounds which are frequently abused in other countries up to 24 weeks, and potentially abortion up to birth in other ill-defined circumstances.”
Get ready to vote NO tomorrow: https://t.co/G2GvAGmzKM
— LoveBoth (Official) (@lovebothireland) May 24, 2018
RETWEET and tweet #LoveBothVoteNO to remind your followers! #8thref #TooFarForMe
He continued: “The Government is proposing to have all constitutional rights removed from unborn babies, this is not a limited amendment but a demolition of a key right in our Constitution.
"This Minister for Health has published legislation which will be introduced if the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution is repealed; it goes far beyond dealing with limited difficult cases.
"The only way to prevent the adoption of an extreme abortion law is to vote ‘No’ tomorrow, Friday at the polling station.”
Also speaking at the event Mary Butler TD, had a message for those voters who were wondering if they should vote for the proposal solely to deal with the tragic cases that have dominated the campaign.
"The Government has cynically used the tragedies of certain people to push through the most extreme abortion law ever propose in this country by any Irish government. More and more people are realising that this government has planned to introduce an extreme abortion law, the only way to stop this is to vote ‘No’ tomorrow.”
Meanwhile at a separate event the Together for Yes called on voters to turn out to vote tomorrow in what will be a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’.
Co-Directors Orla O’Connor and Ailbhe Smyth were joined by a group of Together For Yes supporters in Merrion Square Park.
Spokesperson Sarah Monaghan suggested tomorrow was a historic opportunity for people in Ireland to change how women in this country who have a crisis pregnancy are cared for.
18 hours until polls open.
— Together for Yes (@Together4yes) May 24, 2018
This is it, the final push for Yes. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make Ireland a safer place for women and girls.
Let’s do it. #together4yes #Together2vote pic.twitter.com/jbEuwycPRX
"Voters will have an extraordinary power in their hands tomorrow when they lift that pencil in the polling booth to cast their vote. We would urge everyone to exercise your democratic power and vote Yes to ensure we can care for and be compassionate towards women in these difficult situations.
"Only by repealing the 8th amendment, we can create a caring and compassionate environment for these women.”
Orla O’Connor went on to suggest the vote was a once-in-a-generation chance to repeal the 8th amendment.
Unless we repeal the 8th, nothing will change. Nothing will change for couples who receive a devastating diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality. Nothing will change for rape victims who become pregnant. Nothing will change for women whose health is put at risk by a pregnancy.
"To achieve change – to achieve care and compassion for women in crisis pregnancies – we must repeal.”
Spokesperson Ailbhe Smyth said the electorate have heard powerful personal testimonies from women and couples who have been brave enough to speak out about the harm of the 8th amendment on their lives.
"We have heard from top obstetricians and doctors like Peter Boylan and Rhona Mahony about how the 8th amendment prevents doctors from caring for their patients properly.
"These are sensitive and difficult decisions for women and they should be allowed to make them in consultation with their doctors, and with the support of their families. This care can only be possible by repealing the 8th amendment.”
The Taoiseach has made a final call to people to come out and vote in what he has described as "once in a generation decision" for Irish citizens.
Campaigning for a 'Yes' vote Leo Varadkar said he finds it "difficult to contemplate" a no vote but he must be realistic that this is a possibility.
"I think it would send out the wrong message not just to women but about our society.
There has been in Ireland a legacy of shame in many ways the fact that 170,000 women have had to travel sometimes in secret to another jurisdiction to end their pregnancies and I hope that a yes vote will help to lift that stigma, help to take away that legacy of shame that exists in our society.
He added that he is taking nothing for granted pointing out that opinion polls, which indicate that the referendum will pass, have been wrong before.
I'm voting Yes on Friday for all the women in my life; my mum, my sisters and my female friends, including the friend who told me about her own abortion. I think they all deserve safe & compassionate care here at home. #VoteYes #Together2Vote #PKshow
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 23, 2018
"This is a once in a generation decision for the Irish people, I would really encourage everyone to come out to vote tomorrow, particularly those of you who are voting yes and it is an opportunity for us to change our country.
On Sunday if there is a yes vote it will still be the same country that it is today but it will be a country that is a little bit more compassionate, one that recognises the realities and the problems women face.
Mr Varadkar added that he is confident that if the referendum is carried legislation can be passed through the Oireachtas before the end of the year.
"In terms of the legislation we would anticipate having that published before the summer recess and having it through the Dáil and Seanad and enacted before the end of the year. I hope and trust that the vast majority of TDs will respect the decision of the Irish people if it is a yes vote, there will still be a free vote for TDs and Senators for sure."
Leo Varadkar has promised there will not be another abortion referendum if the 'No' side wins.
Voters have already started casting their ballots on the islands off the West Coast.
The rest of the country will have their say tomorrow on whether they want to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the constitution, which protects the right to life of the unborn.
The Taoiseach has described tomorrow's referendum as a once in a generation opportunity.
He said: "If it is a 'No' vote, the Government will respect that decision and we won't be putting forward a second referendum.
This went through a very detailed process involving The Citizens' Assembly, involving an all party committee, we are now putting the question to the people and we will respect the people's decision whatever it is.
Mr Varadkar has also warned there could be a crackdown on women taking illegal abortion pills if the 'No' side wins.
The Taoiseach has admitted that Gardaí will be forced to act on legitimate complaints if the law does not change.
He says unless the Eighth is repealed, women will still be criminalised for abortions.
If the Gardaí got a complaint about somebody procuring a pill online they would have to investigate that and if there was sufficient evidence the DPP would prosecute.
Both sides in the abortion debate are making a last minute push to appeal to voters.
It is the final day before people take to the polls to decide whether or not to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
More than 2,000 people on 12 islands in the Atlantic will get their chance to vote today.
Ailbhe Smyth from Together for Yes is calling for people to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
She said:
We have been exporting women, they have been saying to women now for 35 years 'you have a right to an abortion but you have to have one somewhere else.'
Cora Sherlock from Love Both wants people to vote to retain the Eighth Amendment.
She said: "I very firmly believe that a woman or family that are told that their baby may not live for very long, deserve to be given the time and space to be considered in a way and talked about in a way that doesn't involve the kind of abortion on demand that we all know this turns into.
This is about one thing and one thing only - abortion on demand.
Young people can make a big difference in deciding the result of the referendum, according to the National Youth Council of Ireland.
The organisation, which has not taken a side during the campaign, is encouraging 18 to 29-year-olds to have their say at the ballot box.
James Doorley, NYCI deputy director explained: “We have compiled the figures from local authorities which indicate that there are 5,866 ballot boxes nationwide. This means that one vote in each ballot box could conceivably be enough to change the outcome of the referendum.
The divorce referendum, for example, was carried by 9,114 votes. If just one voter in each ballot box across the country had voted no rather than yes, then the referendum would have had a different outcome.
NYCI Communications Manager, Daniel Meister, says the power of the youth vote can not be underestimated.
He said: "Young people can play such an important role in this referendum.
There are almost 690,000 aged 18 to 29 in Ireland so it is really important that they get out and vote, they can make a difference. They have to vote on such an important issue.
The first votes of the abortion referendum will be cast later when many islanders take to the polling booths.
An electorate of just over 2,000 is expected in a scattering of Atlantic outposts today as Ireland decides whether to reform its termination laws.
The poll on whether to keep the Eighth Amendment is being held a day earlier in some places as it will help prevent delays in transportation and counting of ballot papers.
The Eighth effectively outlaws abortion in all cases unless a mother’s life is in danger and its repeal would allow the Government to introduce laws permitting the procedure in early pregnancy.
Ballot boxes and electoral officials will be carried by boat from the mainland to counties Donegal, Galway and Mayo in Ireland’s far west later this morning.
Islands in south-west Cork will vote on Friday along with the rest of the country.
After a long campaign radio silence will descend at 2pm today as a broadcast moratorium comes into effect.
Last minute efforts by both sides will be made across the country ahead of the polls opening tomorrow morning.
Canvassers are hitting train stations, bus and Luas stops in a final pitch to the electorate.
The Department of Housing and Local Government have confirmed almost 120,000 people have been added to the supplementary register in advance of the vote, with more than 3 million people eligible to cast their ballot.
