Abortion referendum divides Irish

Posters on O'Connell Street in Dublin, but some are confused by the debate

DUBLIN, Republic of Ireland -- Irish voters are preparing to take part in a referendum that could see a tightening of the country's abortion legislation.

A close result is expected on Wednesday as voters are asked to consider a roll back of 1992 rules.

Before then abortion was only allowed by the law if the mother's life was at risk. In 1992 a landmark legal case established the right of abortion if the mother was at risk of committing suicide.

But the terms of Wednesday's poll is proving confusing for many voters.

VIDEO CNN's Robin Oakley reports on a referendum that could see a tightening of the country's abortion legislation (March 5) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   EXTRA INFORMATION The referendum question    MORE STORIES • Crossing the Irish Sea for an abortion  • Background: Modern poll on old law    CNN.com Europe More news  from our European edition    QUICKVOTE Should a woman have the right to an abortion if pregnancy makes her suicidal? Yes No View Results

"The unborn depend on you! Vote YES," proclaimed posters from the Pro-Life Campaign, while billboard messages from the anti-abortion Pro-Life Alliance said: "Babies will die! Vote pro-life, vote NO."

Liberals seeking greater abortion rights want the proposed amendment to be defeated, while the Catholic hierarchy support it.

Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's government argues that if the 1992 ruling became the undisputed law of the land, many women would falsely threaten suicide to gain abortions.

The Catholic Church has aligned itself with the government. At Masses across the country on Sunday, priests read out letters from bishops urging parishioners to vote yes and distributed pro-amendment literature titled: "An opportunity not to be missed."

It is the fifth referendum on the subject in 20 years and a subject that provokes great passions. Thousands of Irish women travel to Britain every year for abortions.

An opinion poll at the weekend showed 35 percent in favour of tightening the law, 31 percent against, 23 percent undecided and 11 percent not intending to vote.

The counting of votes will begin on Thursday morning and indications of the result are expected by early that afternoon.

The last time Irish voters visited the issue, in 1992, they passed two amendments making it legal for women to receive information about English abortion services and to travel there.

The current situation is that abortion is illegal in Ireland, except where pregnancy endangers a woman's life.

While abortion is not permitted in cases of rape, incest or foetal abnormality, in the 1992 case, the Supreme Court ruled that women, if suicidal over their pregnancy, could be given abortions to protect their own right to life.

The debate that has raged in the strongly-Catholic country for the past 10 years began with the case of X -- a 14-year-old girl who was suicidal after becoming pregnant as a result of rape.

She was eventually allowed to travel to England for termination.

Cardinal Desmond Connell, the church's senior figure in Ireland, argues that if voters reject the amendment, the government will be obliged to accept the Supreme Court ruling at last.

Including suicide threats as legal grounds for abortion, he argued, "would give to the law in this country a fatal bias in favour of abortion."

Voter Margaret Doherty told The Associated Press: "I think everybody would just prefer to vote for or against abortion. Instead, we're getting this Riverdance jig round the edge of the issue.

"Either way, it looks like we get a little abortion."

Ahern has said: "We believe the majority of people want to protect the lives of both women and unborn children and that they do not favour any moves toward more freely available abortion."

Every opposition party is in the "no" camp -- both to oppose Ahern, who faces re-election by June, and to state that the risk of suicide should be accepted as a reason for abortion.