HISTORIC VOTE
Northern Ireland under pressure after landslide abortion vote
Dublin — Pressure is mounting for British-ruled Northern Ireland to liberalise its strict abortion laws after an historic referendum in the neighbouring Republic of Ireland overturned its ban. A traditionally Catholic country, Ireland voted by a landslide to ditch its strict abortion laws in a referendum that Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said lifted decades of stigma and shame. Varadkar’s government has promised to approve the drafting of abortion legislation at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday and is aiming to enact the new law before the end of 2018. More than 66% of voters backed repealing the constitutional ban on terminations, triggering scenes of tearful jubilation in Dublin after an emotional campaign. British MPs said Northern Ireland, where abortions are only allowed if the physical or mental health of the mother are at severe risk, should now follow suit. Women who have unsanctioned abortions in Northern Ireland face life imprisonment under 19th-century legislation still in pla...
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