A rally campaigning for the repeal of the eighth amendment

Ireland has voted 'Yes' to end the country’s ban on abortion after a historic referendum.

Voters were deciding whether to repeal the eighth amendment of the country’s constitution, which recognises the equal right to life of both mother and unborn child, effectively banning terminations.

This amendment has been in place since 1983, and the campaign to repeal it rapidly picked up steam in recent years, spurred on by cases such as the death of Savita Halappanavar in 2012.

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Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said the referendum result marked “the day Ireland stepped out from under the last of our shadows and into the light”, and he hailed the vote as a “quiet revolution”.

Repealing the amendment will allow the Irish government to legislate on abortion as they see fit, most likely allowing terminations within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The two biggest parties in the country, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, allowed members to take a free position on the issue, while Sinn Fein and Labour officially backed a Yes vote.