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Labour leader urges No vote in referendum
By Piaras Murphy
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Labour Party leader Mr Ruairí Quinn urging voters to defeat the proposed abortion amendment.
Photo: Piaras Murphy
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Labour Party leader Mr Ruairí Quinn today urged voters to defeat the proposed amendment to the constitution by voting No on Wednesday.
Mr Quinn said the referendum was not about whether people are pro or anti abortion. "It's about rolling back the humane and compassionate decision made by the Supreme Court in 1993 in the X case. It is legitimate in my view to vote No for the status quo," he said.
He said the Government's claim that the status of the morning-after pill would be copper-fastened was wrong and that following a Yes vote, the civil and constitutional doubts about the morning-after pill would remain.
Mr Quinn also claimed the proposed amendment would restrict the right to travel - established in the C case - in a limited number of cases. Constitutional lawyer Mr Gerald Hogan made the same claim on RTÉ's Morning Ireland today.
The Labour spokesperson on Health, Ms Liz McManus, also urged men to vote No on Wednesday.
"Many people have said that this is a women's issue. It's not. It affects everyone and the constitution belongs to everybody. I would urge men to look and see if they want this damaging amendment put into the constitution".
Mr Quinn said: "I hope, at this stage, that our campaign has shed some light on the issue. The Government should have set up the Referendum Commission sooner so as people could have been provided with all the information they needed to vote on the issue".
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