LEO Varadkar has warned those planning to vote 'No' in Ireland's upcoming abortion referendum that it is "only a matter of time" before a woman dies using abortion pills bought online.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke show, the Taoiseach made his personal pitch for a 'Yes' vote with less than a week to go until the vote on May 25.
He said: “There are certain instances where it’s not stated that the abortion pill is not safe for certain women to take and unfortunately women are buying these pills over the internet, unsafely, and using them.
"And actually I think it is only a matter of time before somebody loses their life after taking one of those pills bought over the internet - it hasn’t taken place yet, but it has happened in other countries.
"So I would ask people to bear that in mind when they vote on Friday".
He reiterated: "It's only a matter of time before somebody loses their life as a result of taking one of those pills over the internet, that they haemorrhage or bleed to death... let's not wait for this to happen."
Seven days
In under a week, Irish citizens will cast their vote on whether to repeal or retain the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution - which gives equal right to life to the mother and unborn children.
Currently, abortions are only allowed in Ireland when the life of the mother deemed to be in danger - with the maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion being 14 years in prison.
If repealed, the current law would be replaced with new wording to allow for parliament to legislate for the termination of pregnancies.
It would see Ireland legalise abortions for up to 12 weeks of pregnancy without restriction.
