Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is now less than 24 hours before people go to the polls across the State and have their say on the continued presence of the eighth amendment in our Constitution. We are mindful that voting is already under way on our offshore islands. Many will have engaged with the arguments and propositions made during the referendum campaign and have now made up their minds on how they intend to vote.

I commend and thank all those who were involved in the "Yes" campaign for the job they have done. In the face of dishonest claims peddled by some on the "No" side, they have remained grounded in facts in making their case. They have illustrated accurately and honestly the pain and trauma that the eighth amendment has visited on women for many decades. They have articulated in a very caring and compassionate way the circumstances in which women should be allowed to end their pregnancies. That has not been easy in the face of some of the tactics of the "No" campaign. More than that, however, they have made this campaign about those we love: our wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, colleagues and friends. They need and deserve our compassion. They also deserve our trust, our trust in them to make medical decisions about their own bodies in their own interest. Tomorrow they need our vote. We all know that women in crisis situations, including victims of rape, those whose health is at serious risk, and those who receive the awful diagnosis that their baby has no chance of survival, are already travelling week in, week out to have an abortion in another country, or are taking abortion pills in this country without medical supervision. A "No" vote tomorrow will not stop that but a "Yes" vote can.

Tomorrow's vote is about people, families, a woman's access to proper healthcare and an outdated, ill-fated constitutional provision that criminalises tragedy. That is the sum of it. The eighth amendment must go. The women of this State deserve to live in a compassionate and caring country that does not turn its back on them at a time when they need our care and support the most. Will the Tánaiste agree with me that voting "Yes" tomorrow is the right thing to do for women and girls in this country? Will he join me in making a particular appeal to men to go out and vote "Yes" tomorrow? As men and by dint of birth, we will never become pregnant but our loved ones - our wives, daughters, sisters and mothers - deserve our trust, our compassion and our support. Tomorrow, we cannot let them down.

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