Citizens will be asked on May 25 whether they want to repeal the Eighth Amendment of Ireland’s Constitution (Caroline Quinn/PA)

Pub-goers will be faced with beer mats and urinal posters featuring an unborn foetus from next week as an anti-repeal group ramps up its campaign.

"We find that people aren't talking about the referendum enough, and men are even less likely to talk about it, especially the type of men who go for a few beers," said Save the Eighth spokesperson John McGuirk.

Save the Eighth is to target pubs as part of its campaign ahead of the abortion referendum on May 25.

Beer mats and posters with the image of an in-utero foetus have been printed to encourage people to vote against repeal.

Small posters will be placed above urinals in men's toilets and in both male and female cubicles in pubs from next week.

Mr McGuirk insists that the image will not put punters off enjoying a pint.

Expand Close The picture of a foetus on promotional material that Save the Eighth hope will spark debate in pubs about the abortion referendum / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The picture of a foetus on promotional material that Save the Eighth hope will spark debate in pubs about the abortion referendum

"I think the image we're using is very simple. There's no gore or blood," he said.

Save the Eighth chose the locations of the pubs based on county or region. Mr McGuirk said that as "pubs are always running out of beer mats" they will come in useful and "are a very good conversation starter".

"We're not the first to use beer mats to communicate," he added.

The group is also launching a new billboard with the tag-line, 'Growing, growing, gone'.

It features a developing foetus in the first 10 weeks and then at 11 weeks of pregnancy. A third image - supposed to be in the 12th week - shows it to have vanished.

A hundred of these will be put up in a number of locations from Sunday.

A current billboard with the slogan 'A licence to kill' has been the source of distress among women, according to former Master of Holles Street Maternity Hospital Peter Boylan who is supporting the repeal of the Eighth Amendment outlawing abortion.

Irish Independent