Anti-abortion activists conceded defeat early on Saturday and lawmakers who campaigned for a ‘No’ vote said they would not seek to block the government’s legislation. Photo: AFPDublin: Ireland overwhelmingly voted to liberalize some of Western Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws in the nation’s most decisive break yet with its Roman Catholic roots. Some carried the Irish tricolour, others waved ‘Yes’ placards, in scenes echoing the same-sex marriage referendum three years ago. “A quiet revolution has taken place, a great act of democracy,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said, hailing a “remarkable” day. It “indicates an Ireland that is not the Catholic state for a Catholic people that it was for so long.”The law on abortion is enshrined in the country’s constitution, which can be changed only by referendum.

Source: Mint May 26, 2018 14:48 UTC