A potential change to the date set for the referendum on the eighth amendment could leave thousands of students unable to cast a vote, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has warned.
A delay in voting on the wording of the referendum bill could see the referendum polling date pushed back to June 8th. USI has expressed concerns that this could make it more difficult for students sitting state examinations, on J1 visas trips to the US or on work placement, to vote in the referendum.
The bill, which has been brought forward by Minister for Health Simon Harris, contains “principles or provisions” to be taken into account when drafting legislation if the eighth amendment is repealed. Dáil debates on the bill will have to conclude quickly if a May polling date is to be set for the referendum, with cabinet soon to go on a break for St Patrick’s Day and Easter.
Speaking after the debate in the Dáil today, the President of USI, Michael Kerrigan said: “With the debate stalled, we need to know if a May date is still on the table so students can vote. Millions of our young people have not had the opportunity to vote on this issue, and arguably it affects our future generations more than any other.”
Kerrigan acknowledged the widespread student support for the issue, stating that they are “overwhelmingly in favour of changing our restrictive abortion laws to become a country that values dignity and respect of people”.
“We know that the people want to show compassion, and allow people to make personal and private decisions. We must remove the Eighth Amendment, and we must accommodate students to vote.”
USI is the national representative body for the 374,000 students in third-level education in Ireland. It is a pro-choice organisation and a member of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment.
Yesterday, USI led hundreds of students from Trinity to join 8,000 people on the streets in support of repeal.
