An inquest has hard that gardai investigated the death of a premature baby after a pack of abortion pills was handed to paramedics at a flat in Dundalk, Co Louth.

Opponents of Friday’s referendum have claimed that the Government is “using” the threat of abortion pills and should demand that Google bans websites allowing Irish people to buy the illegal drugs if it is serious about the dangers of the pills.

An estimated five women a day are illegally using abortion pills bought on the web, it has been claimed.

Women who ordered abortion pills from an online service against a backdrop of strict anti-abortion laws reported successfully terminating their pregnancy with few adverse events, new research has found.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service is defending its decision to provide a helpline to Irish women who have bought abortion pills online.