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posted by janrinok on Tuesday May 29 2018, @07:40PM   Printer-friendly
from the generational-attitude-shift dept.

Al Jazeera reports

Polls have closed in an Irish referendum on abortion that could represent a change in the path of a country that was once one of Europe's more socially conservative.

Voters turned out in large numbers on [May 25] to have their say on whether to repeal the country's Eighth Amendment, which outlaws abortion by giving equal rights to the unborn.

An exit poll, conducted for the Irish Times by Ipsos/MRBI, suggested that the country voted by a landslide margin to change the constitution so that abortion can be legalised.

The vote to repeal the constitutional ban was predicted to win by 68 percent to 32 percent, according to the poll of 4,000 voters, the Irish Times said.

[...] If the proposal to repeal the Eighth Amendment is defeated on [May 25], the country will not have a second referendum and it could be another 35 years before voters have their say on the matter again, [Prime Minister Leo] Varadkar said.

[...] 78 percent of the Irish population is Catholic

[...] Thousands of people living abroad returned home to vote. Ireland is one of the few countries in the European Union that does not allow those abroad to vote via post or in embassies.

Those away for less than 18 months remain eligible to vote at their former local polling station. Those living on the Atlantic islands cast their ballot a day early to help prevent delays in transportation and counting the ballot papers.

When the constitutional amendment to instate the ban was voted on in 1983, 66.9 percent voted "yes," and 33.1 percent voted "no".

Widely reported, including:


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @09:27PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @09:27PM (#685908)

    That's not an argument for funding Planned Parenthood.

    You'll be sad to note that we agree [soylentnews.org].

  • (Score: 2) by shortscreen on Wednesday May 30 2018, @05:55AM (1 child)

    by shortscreen (2252) on Wednesday May 30 2018, @05:55AM (#686111) Journal

    An observation that people don't like where their tax dollars are going is not necessarily an argument against taxation. Another interesting possibilty would be to allow taxpayers to decide on the allocation of funds themselves.

    2016 Libertarian candidate Dr. Feldman (R.I.P.) had a plan that would have allowed taxpayers to redirect their money to qualifying charities instead, serving a dual purpose of democratizing social spending and shrinking the federal government (when all their revenue dried up).

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 30 2018, @07:53PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 30 2018, @07:53PM (#686446)

      How do you determine that certain amount which citizens must allocate?

      It's all so stupid, and your idea just emphasizes the stupidity of organizing society in this way.