But in a landslide, Irish voters rejected the amendment.
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John McGuirk, spokesman for the Save the 8th group – which refers to the eighth amendment in the constitution which effectively bans terminations – told Irish television Saturday that many Irish citizens will not recognize the country they are waking up in.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who campaigned to repeal the laws, had called the vote a once-in-a-generation chance and voters responded by turning out in droves.
Archbishop Eamon Martin, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, has said he will give thanks in prayer to the “courageous” people who took part in the No campaign in the referendum.
The DUP MP Jim Shannon said: “We have a Northern Ireland assembly that has been in limbo for 18 months”. Current law prohibits all abortions in Ireland, except when the life of the mother is at risk.
Speaking ahead of the official result on Saturday afternoon, Varadkar said the success of the campaign was down to a number of “very fearless women and men” who told their stories and their experiences of how this “hard law created so many hard cases”.
Once passed, women in Ireland will be able to obtain first-trimester abortions in Irish hospitals. “This is about women taking their rightful place in Irish society, finally”.
While women in Ireland are rejoicing this change they are also quietly remembering Savita Halappanavar, who had died of sepsis at a hospital in Galway in October 2012.
Until then, women seeking abortions will still have to travel overseas to undergo the procedure.
Now, following the historic news many celebrities have spoken out in celebration of the victory.
Some supporters had tears of joy running down their cheeks, and many women hugged each other. Cheers erupted every time partial results were shown on two big screens transmitting the latest television news.
More than 66 percent of voters in what has been a traditionally staunchly Catholic country backed repealing the constitutional ban on terminations, triggering scenes of tearful jubilation in Dublin on Saturday after a divisive and often emotional campaign.
He told the deacons they will be called to witness to the gospel in a culture which finds it less and less relevant and which tends to define its own understanding of the word of God. Purcell was one of many who made their way back to Ireland to vote, rallying behind a #hometovote social media movement.
If Irish abortions follow the trends of the United States and other countries where abortion is legal, mothers’ first trimester is where the biggest percentage of abortions happen, often well over 90 percent. Perhaps as a result of the stress and anticipation of the huge, important vote, people went absolutely mad when a gorgeous hound was hoisted into the air, like Simba from The Lion King.
Official counting for Friday’s referendum on whether or not to liberalize Ireland’s abortion laws was still under way, and final results are not expected until Saturday afternoon.
Mrs Halappanavar’s death caused worldwide controversy and sparked a campaign to have Ireland’s abortion law liberalised.
Meanwhile, the Irish Consul-General to New Zealand said she believed Irish politicians of all parties would now unite behind changes to the abortion laws.
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“As this is a devolved issue, if an amendment is not accepted by the Speaker, then there should at very least be a referendum in Northern Ireland on this issue”, she added.
