Ireland moves one step closer to fully legalizing abortion in the country. 

After the death of 31-year-old dentist Savita Halappanavar in 2012, a debate over abortions became one of the primary topics in political discourse. Halappanavar died of sepsis in a hospital in Galway, Ireland, because she was denied an abortion. 

Her husband, Praveen Halappanavar, pleaded with doctors to go through with the procedure but medical staff refused because the baby's heart was still beating.

Ireland being a Catholic nation has shunned abortions. On Friday, Irish citizens put the issue on the ballot. An overwhelming number of young people voted to repeal the nation's 8th Amendment, which makes abortions illegal and punishable by law.

An overwhelming 66.4 percent of voters supported the repeal while 33.6 did not, according to estimates by the Independent, which means nearly 1.2 million people demanded change. 

“We’ve got justice for Savita, and what happened to her will not happen to any other family now," Savita's father, Andanappa Yalagi, said. “I have no words to express my gratitude to the people of Ireland at this historic moment.”

The 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution will be replaced with a clause stating: “Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.” 

Under the new provisions, women are allowed to receive the procedure within 12 to 24 weeks if there is an abnormality, a risk to the mother's life or other serious medical issues. Women can receive abortions after 24 weeks if a fatal fetal abnormality is detected.

However, abortion will not be immediately available at the moment. Doctors are also allowed to refuse to perform the operation but they're required to recommend another doctor to carry out the procedure. 

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is hopeful the law will be enacted by the end of the year, The Guardian reports. 

8th amendmentabortion referendumIrelandIreland AbortionsIrishSavita Halappanavar