No campaigners delighted at referendum rejection

Pro-life campaigner Dana Scallon has described the result of today's referendum vote as 'a victory for the unborn child'.

The Connacht-Ulster MEP said it would be very wrong for anyone to assert that the No vote was a vote for a more liberal abortion agenda.

"It's quite clear that if the pro-life people had been given what they asked for, which was the option to protect the child from the moment of conception while safeguarding the health of the mother, it would have been passed with a large majority," she said.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael's Nora Owen was also pleased with the result, although she questioned why such a 'divisive' referendum had been held in the first place.

"I think the Attorney General thought he could wrap this up in a way which would cause confusion and crudely ask people to vote yes or no to a package of five measures, four of which could have been done by legislation," she said.