Niall Horan is among the Irish stars urging the nation to vote in favour of legalising abortion, as the country prepares to vote in its referendum on the subject.
On Friday, Ireland will decide whether their constitution’s Eighth Amendment - which gives pregnant women and unborn foetuses an equal right to life - should be repealed, making abortion legal in the country for the first time.
As the nation began heading to their polling stations, former One Direction singer Niall was among those to speak out, urging Ireland to “make another great decision” and “do right by the great women of our nation”.
Other prolific Irish stars have been speaking out on social media over the past two weeks, while Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan - who doesn’t have an official Twitter account - recorded a video in favour of the ‘vote yes’ campaign.
Meanwhile, British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran was recently forced to speak out over the weekend, when his song ‘Small Bump’ was appropriated by anti-abortion campaigners in Ireland.
He wrote: “I’ve been informed that my song Small Bump is being used to promote the pro-life campaign, and I feel it’s important to let you know I have not given approval for this use, and it does not reflect what the song is about.”
The current law in Ireland means abortion is effectively illegal, with anyone who undergoes the procedure potentially facing up to 14 years in prison.
According to the Ireland’s Local Government Department, more than 3.2 million people are registered to vote. The polls, which opened at 7am on Friday, will close at 10pm, with the results expected to be announced on Saturday.