Exit Polls – Overwhelming majority vote to change Ireland’s abortion law

British media outlets report that “exit polls on Ireland’s abortion referendum show more than two thirds of voters want to change the country’s strict law.” There were two polls quoted. One was done on behalf of national broadcaster RTE and one on behalf of the Irish Times. Both suggest a landslide victory for those campaigning to liberalise the law and open up access to abortion.

Those taking part in Friday’s referendum were asked whether they wanted to repeal or retain a part of the constitution known as the Eighth Amendment, which says an unborn child has the same right to life as a pregnant woman.

The RTE/Behaviour and Attitudes poll showed 69.4% are in favour, while the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll put the figure just slightly lower at 68%. The Irish Times poll surveyed 4,000 voters at 160 polling stations in every constituency in Ireland, while the RTE surveyed 3,800 people at 175 stations across the country.

What does this mean? 

As SKY explains “If the victory is officially confirmed, Ireland’s government says it is committed to introducing unrestricted access to abortion for women up to 12 weeks pregnant. After that, abortions will only be allowed until the 24th week of pregnancy if there is a risk to a woman’s life, or a risk of serious harm to the physical or mental health of a woman. Under the current law, an unborn child has the same right to life as the mother. The maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion is 14 years in prison.