Ireland’s campaign to save the country’s Eighth Amendment, which bans abortion, is conceding it has lost Friday’s referendum by a landslide.

The people of Ireland “weighed it in the balance and it came down on one side. I obviously would have preferred if they had come down on the other,” John McGuirk, communications director for the “Save the 8th” campaign, told national broadcaster RTE, according to Reuters.

“There is no prospect of the (abortion rights) legislation not being passed,” McGuirk added.

Many who voted in favor of repeal are crying “tears of joy” with the prospect of abortion access in their country:

Mother Georgina Barrow and daughter Natalie who had just done the tally on their own parish and it came in 90 to 66 in favour of repeal!. They were overwhelmed. "We had really good feedback on the doors, but you just don't know what people will do when they are in the booth" — lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) May 26, 2018

The scenes as our Directors Orla, Grainne and Ailbhe enter the RDS, we have news that #together4yes has just crossed 1 million votes tallied with 67.6% Yes (and it was Clare reporting a 64% yes that brought us past the 1 million!) #together4yes pic.twitter.com/I5HxISlwcD — Together for Yes (@Together4yes) May 26, 2018

Irish people from around the world are flying #HomeToVote, and hopefully end the country's strict abortion ban pic.twitter.com/52YSpU3YBo — NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 25, 2018

https://twitter.com/AndrewRalphPC/status/1000354581686218752

18 hours until polls open. This is it, the final push for Yes. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make Ireland a safer place for women and girls. Let’s do it. #together4yes #Together2vote pic.twitter.com/jbEuwycPRX — Together for Yes (@Together4yes) May 24, 2018

Very emotional scenes in @Together4yes HQ as word comes through that Exit Poll indicates YES 68%. Barely a dry eye in the room ❤ #together4yes #8thref #Tá4Mná pic.twitter.com/MwNb8cyfTG — Oisín MacCanna 🇵🇸 (@OisMacC) May 25, 2018

Statement by Save the 8th on referendum result

Save the 8th has issued the following statement on the referendum result: “The 8th amendment did not create a right to life for the unborn child – it merely acknowledged… https://t.co/JKlLNsvuN9 — Save Lives. Stop Abortion (@SaveLivesAlways) May 26, 2018

Now that the #Savethe8th crowd have lost on #repealthe8th, will they campaign for things that will reduce abortion rates – better sex education, free contraception, free universal childcare? LOL of course not, they'll just stand outside clinics harassing women. — Adam McGibbon (@AdamMcGibbon) May 26, 2018

The campaign “Together for Yes” claimed – as many in the international abortion industry often do – that women cannot be “safe” and “healthy” without access to abortion. Despite numerous OB/GYNs in Ireland asserting the country is one of the “safest” and “healthiest” places for women with the Eighth Amendment in place, the exit polls suggest many voters relied on the abortion industry and left-wing media for their information:

Thousands of Irish women are forced to travel abroad every year just to be able to decide their own futures. https://t.co/rLPPDuM4oj #RepealThe8th — NARAL (@NARAL) May 25, 2018

Additionally, a 2011 study published at the British Journal of Psychiatry – which was only released online in January – provided “the largest quantitative estimate of mental health risks associated with abortion available in the world literature.” Results found women who had an abortion showed an “81 percent increased risk of mental health problems,” with nearly ten percent of those mental health problems “shown to be directly attributable to abortion.”

“The finding that abortion is associated with significantly higher risks of mental health problems compared with carrying a pregnancy to term is consistent with literature demonstrating protective effects of pregnancy delivered relative to particular mental health outcomes,” wrote researcher Priscilla K. Coleman.

In the United States, pro-life leaders have been fighting the same narrative – that abortion provides “safety” and “health” for mothers – since the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973. Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins said, “Ireland will now join that sad community of nations who throw away irreplaceable human beings through abortion on demand.”

“Clearly, the abortion industry and their political and cultural allies put preborn life in the crosshairs, working to push this tragic conclusion to all efforts to protect both mother and preborn child,” Hawkins said in a statement sent to Breitbart News. “Still, it’s a tragedy that the Irish people did not learn from our mistakes and have failed to provide pro-life protections in the law. As a result of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, we in the U.S. mourn more than 60 million lives lost and horrific consequences for the women who endured the lies and impact of abortion. Ireland will not face a loss they can’t calculate.”

Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, reacted with sadness “to learn so many Irish people voted against love and life by repealing the 8th Amendment.”

“Americans know from experience that there will be many grave and irreversible consequences to this decision, including the loss of precious lives,” she said, adding:

A study released this week shows that legalizing abortion greatly increases the number of children whose lives are terminated in the womb. Though they are the first, unborn children are not the only victims; abortion harms mothers too. Life is the empowering decision. We grieve for the great loss this beautiful country will endure and we pray that they find a way to reverse this unfortunate decision.

“Today, the Americans United for Life (AUL) legal team is saddened that the people of Ireland have paved the way for abortion on demand in their country,” said Catherine Glenn Foster, president of AUL.

“AUL offers our support to the pro-life people of Ireland – we continue to stand with you and thank you for your valiant efforts to defend life,” she added. “If the global pro-life movement continues to work together to advance the cause of life, we have every faith that we will see a day when everyone is welcomed in life and protected in law.”