Ireland's Indian-origin PM campaigns to lift abortion ban

In what is seen as the first major test of his leadership since he took charge as 'Taoiseach' a year ago, Varadkar has been urging voters to ensure a high turnout in the referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution which severely restricts access to abortions.

The case of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian dentist who died of blood poisoning at Galway University Hospital in Ireland in October 2012 after she was denied a life-saving abortion, is among the cases being highlighted by campaigners in favour of a "yes" vote.

"I do hope we will see more people taking part in this referendum, an exercise in democracy," Varadkar said.

"Ultimately laws are just written in black and white, they are text in a piece of law but what has to be behind those laws is individuals, people's families and how those laws have affected them in the process," the leader of the liberal-conservative Fine Gail party said.

While the two main parties of Ireland, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are not taking official positions on the referendum, politicians are permitted to campaign on a personal basis.

If Ireland votes "yes", the government intends to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in a restricted fashion.

Halappanavar's father Andanappa Yalagi said, "I hope the people of Ireland remember my daughter Savita on the day of the referendum, and that what happened to her won't happen to any other family."

"I think about her every day. She didn't get the medical treatment she needed because of the eighth amendment. They must change the law," he told The Guardian by phone from his home in Karnataka.