Ireland will vote in a referendum on 25 May on liberalising its strict abortion laws. Abortion has long been a divisive issue in the once stridently Catholic country. A complete ban was only lifted in 2013, when terminations were allowed in cases where the mother’s life was in danger.

2nd Year Student, Hatty Ruddick, explains what this monumental choice for Ireland means to her. 

Content warning: Abortion, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Sex Work, Death.

Going back to Ireland to vote in this referendum is so important. More people in Ireland have abortions than there are students in this university (6 times over) yet it is illegal. 

People, mainly women, in Ireland are taking this risk due to pregnancy sometimes being a trigger for mental health issues and increasing the likelihood of behaviours associated with mental health issues, Pregnancy occurring as a consequence of Sexual Violence and Pregnancy being a negative factor on our physical health leading to disastrous consequences as seen in the tragic case of Savita Halappanavar. But fundamentally, people should have access to health care and to the right to choose what they do with their body. 

In the UK, we have the privilege of our government acknowledging our right to bodily autonomy; this is not the case for all UK citizens as Trans People do not necessarily have this acknowledged by our government, but we have access to safe and sanitary abortions for no procedural cost. This is something citizens here take for advantage. 

However, for the 17 year old girl who has found herself pregnant just before she starts university, when she has been assaulted and cannot continue with her pregnancy. 

For the newly-wed who has found herself pregnant when she is not ready to have a child because she wants to spend a few years in her job and getting used to married life before starting a family. 

For the sex-worker who is pregnant and will have to choose between their job and continuing with the pregnancy. 

They have two options, to put what they wanted to do with their life for the next year on hold while they go through with the pregnancy and give birth, or to travel to the UK, spending hundreds of Euros on flights and accommodation to access simple health care which the majority of the Western World take for granted. 

This is why Irish students should be making the journey home on the 25th May to vote in the referendum, because everyone should have a right to health care, bodily autonomy and autonomy over their lives. 

This is a lottery at the moment as to where you are born. If you are born in the UK you have the right to choose, if you are born in Ireland, you don’t. This is simply not right and not justified. Especially because actual human lives are at stake. Some women are risking their lives to continue with pregnancies because they do not have access to abortions in their own home country.

As young people, we have a fantastic opportunity in this referendum. We can impact the lives of Irish people to come and give them the opportunity to path their lives how they want to and not having to give all trust over to an outdated and frankly misjudged law. The Eighth Amendment (1983) and the Protection of Life Law (2013) need to be repealed. We can do this, but we need to be at polling stations of the 25th to do that.

See you at the airport!