Twitter Reacts to Ireland's Historic Abortion Vote
On Friday, voters in Ireland took to the polling stations to cast their ballots on whether the country should repeal the eighth amendment of its constitution, which effectively bans abortions. Results for the referendum started coming in on Saturday—by the afternoon, the final vote was at 66.4 percent for the repeal and 33.6 percent against—and folks around the globe celebrated what could be considered Ireland’s first step towards allowing legal and safe abortions.
Constituents gathered at Dublin Castle in the nation’s capital, taking a moment to honor Savita Halappanavar, a dentist who died of sepsis in 2012 during a miscarriage, during which she’d asked several times for an abortion (doctors wouldn’t administer one as they could still hear a fetal heartbeat). Her death was considered a catalyst for the movement to repeal the eighth amendment, her image becoming a part of the campaign for a “yes” vote.
When the results were announced, Taoiseach (that’s Prime Minister to those of us outside Ireland) Leo Varadkar gave an incredible speech, remarking: “Today is an historic day for Ireland. A quiet revolution has taken place, and a great act of democracy. A hundred years since women got the right to vote. Today, we as a people have spoken. And we say that we trust women and we respect women and their decisions.”
“Today I believe we have voted for the next generation,” he continued. “We have voted to look reality in the eye and we did not blink. We have voted to provide compassion where there was once a cold shoulder, and to offer medical care where once we turned a blind eye.”
Across the globe, many chimed in via social media with their thoughts on Ireland’s historic referendum. Here are some of the most powerful, poignant reactions to the repeal vote from Twitter.
There were celebrations and congratulations…
https://twitter.com/AlisonSpittle/status/1000444320456040450
https://twitter.com/CecileRichards/status/1000403247495081984
…as well as reminders about the collective power of women at the polls.
https://twitter.com/LitsaDremousis/status/1000398304738357249
Read the stories of women who traveled home to Ireland to vote in the historic referendum here.
Related Stories:
Why These Women Are Traveling Over 9,000 Miles to Vote in Ireland’s Abortion Referendum
Ireland Has Voted to Repeal Its Abortion Ban
Why You—Yes, You—Need to Pay Attention to Ireland’s Historic Abortion Referendum