Irish abortion referendum poll: 'Yes' voters have ‘slim lead’ as voters decide future of Eighth Amendment

Ireland was voting today in a historic referendum over whether to end the country’s strict law against abortion .

Thousands living abroad have travelled home to take part in the poll. The country is being asked whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Irish constitution, which bans terminations unless the woman’s life is in danger.

Surveys have given the Yes campaign a narrow lead but, with the Catholic Church among influential voices opposing repeal, many expect a close result.

At one polling station in Bray, near Dublin, it appeared that for every No voter there were two Yes voters.

Flights from London to Dublin were reported to be full yesterday after a campaign by the pro-repeal London-Irish ARC group. The hashtag #HomeToVote has trended on Twitter , with travellers sharing their stories and posting photos of their journeys.

Kelly Hunt, 24, who lives in Barcelona, voted Yes after her 20-year-old brother surprised her with a flight home. She said: “I didn’t think I could get time off work because I’ve just started a new job.

"Then when my polling card arrived my brother saw it and said, ‘She has to vote. She has a responsibility as a young Irish woman to bring about change.’

“When I told work they had no problem with me taking time off. I voted Yes but I’m really nervous about it. I think it’s 50/50. I’m sick to my stomach.”

Theresa Joyce, who came out with two young children, said she was “deeply passionate” about the issue. While not stating how she voted, she said she hoped repeal “would not pass”.

“But in this country if you vote No, they just keep coming back to ask you again until it does pass. They did that with divorce,” she added.

One middle-aged woman, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s two Yes votes in our house. We have twin girls and if either found themselves in a crisis situation I want them to be able to go to their GP in private and not to have to go to an airport.”

Polls opened at 7am and counting will take place tomorrow. A total of 3.3 million citizens were registered to vote, with 6,500 polling stations open.

President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina voted in Dublin at 9.30am. More than 3,000 Irish women travel to England and Wales for terminations each year, according to NHS statistics.

If Yes wins, the Irish government in-tends to legislate by the end of the year to allow abortions within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.