Ireland abortion referendum: All you need to know

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The polarizing debate about whether to repeal Ireland’s abortion ban is entering the final stretch.

Abortion has been banned in the country for decades and is punishable with jail time for anyone involved in undergoing or administering the procedure. However, this could all change soon as the referendum on whether to repeal the longstanding ban looms.

Here’s all you need to know about the referendum, when it will be held, polling information and the country’s abortion laws.

Voters in Ireland will soon decide on whether to keep or repeal the country's abortion ban

What is the Ireland abortion referendum?

The Ireland abortion referendum is an upcoming vote on whether to lift the country’s abortion ban, with a ‘yes’ vote in favor of repealing the longtime ban and a ‘no’ vote signifying that it should be kept in place.

The referendum was launched at the impetus of the country’s new Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who announced that a public vote will be held on whether to legalize abortion or keep the ban in place shortly after he took office in 2017.

The vote has captured the attention of the Irish people both at home and abroad. In addition to huge rallies underway both in favor and against repealing the country's abortion ban, many Irish citizens abroad are reportedly planning to fly home to cast their vote in the upcoming referendum, with the hashtag #hometovote now trending on social media. 

'I feel so strongly about this. I want my vote counted,' said Amy Fitzgerald, who recently relocated to Canada. She adds: 'I’ve a friend who had an abortion years ago and she didn’t tell anyone. All my pregnancies were happy ones, but I just do not understand why it’s any of my business or anyone else’s to force women to do what she had to do or that they had go through this on their own and in silence.'

The close polls has led to anxiety for both those who support keeping and repealing the controversial abortion ban. 

'We’re all a little bit on edge at the moment because the polls are so close. I think every vote is going to count and I feel privileged that in Berlin I’m close enough to get home and I can afford it,' said Sonja Rohan, a postgrad student currently in Germany. 

In recent years, a number of high-profile cases have caused those in favor of overturning the ban to become increasingly vocal. One especially notable case was that of Savita Halappanavar, a dentist originally from India who died in 2012 after doctors refused to end her pregnancy despite serious complications. 

Halappanavar's parents have now vocally backed efforts to repeal the ban. 

Notably, the upcoming vote wouldn't immediately legalize abortion in the country. Instead, should the ban be repealed by voters, a proposed law would make it legal for women to undergo abortions without restrictions during the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy. Women with serious health issues would have up to 24 weeks to end their pregnancy should they choose to while pregnancies involving serious health risks and fatal fetal complications would only be allowed to undergo abortions after that. 

The proposed law would also allow doctors to consciously object if they choose to do so.  

When is the Ireland abortion referendum?

The referendum will be held on Friday, May 25, 2018.

Ireland abortion referendum polls

According to reports, the movement in favor of repealing the country’s strict abortion laws holds a narrow lead. Though attitudes in the country have shifted in recent years in favor of other social issues such as gay marriage, the issue of abortion is still very polarizing in the country, meaning that the final outcome of the vote will likely be very close either way.

Polls show voters in Ireland are very sharply divided over the upcoming abortion referendum

Ireland abortion laws

Abortion is currently illegal in Ireland, with the sole exception being to save the life of the pregnant woman.

The 1861 Offences Against the Person Act made abortion technically illegal in the country, though it wasn’t until 1983 when several conservative parties with the backing of the Catholic Church solidified an abortion ban in the country with the implementation of the Eighth Amendment to its constitution.

The amendment states: 'The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.'

Abortion laws have become less restrictive over the years. In 1992, two referendums clarified that women can travel out of the country to have an abortion and that information about having an abortion abroad can be legally obtained. In 2013, the nation also passed a new law allowing women to obtain a legal abortion if her life was believed to be at risk.

Despite this, the country still has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the Western world. The practice is punishable by up to 14 years in prison for women who’ve undergone it as well as for anyone administering it. 

Per the Ireland Family Planning Association, more than 168,000 women from Ireland traveled to the UK to undergo a legal abortion between 1980 and 2016. 

Even more women have ordered abortion pills online in Ireland, a move that's both illegal and risky to their health in many ways.