"Today unborn Irish children have been stripped of their dignity and protections by a majority of the adult voting population", said Liam Gibson, spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC).
"This is a mark of shame for every Irish voter who, with knowledge of what has happened elsewhere, has chosen to dishonour new human life and the place of the child in his or her mother's womb."
Pat Buckley of European Life Network Ireland commented: "The Yes campaign will celebrate tonight, but the depth of the change this vote has brought about will be revealed through the loss of countless Irish children killed before birth, while countless mothers mourn these children, often in silence.
"In opposing repeal, the Irish pro-life movement can be proud of fighting a vigorous and imaginative campaign that often (if sadly not always) defended 'hard case' babies - who like other babies should be cherished, not offered as bargaining chips to those who would strip their rights away. There can never be social progress if we allow in a mentality which says that we are gods who decide, on our own personal criteria, who lives and who dies.
"We will not be giving in to despair. We are starting again now and we will make this vote a wake-up call to all of us to renew our efforts consistently and compassionately to protect innocent lives", Pat Buckley concluded.
Contact us
For more information, please contact Liam Gibson, SPUC's development officer in Northern Ireland:
or Alithea Williams SPUC's Communications Officer, on: