BREAKING: Ireland VOTES IN abortion referendum: Resounding Victory

Turnout was high Friday in all the 6,500 polling stations in 40 constituencies across the Irish Republic as Irish voters went to the ballot box on Friday to vote in an historic referendum to repeal the eighth constitutional amendment, which denies women the right to abort pregnancies except when their lives are in danger.

Counting began at 09:00 local time and the confirmed result is expected by Saturday evening.

However, the exit poll run by Irish broadcaster RTÉ suggested 69.4% in favour of the Yes side and 30.6% for No.has

Currently, abortion is only allowed when a woman's life is at risk, but not in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called the results a "quiet revolution".

"The public have spoken," Varadkar told reporters on Saturday. "The result appears to be resounding ... in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment," he added. "What we see is the culmination of a quiet revolution that has been taking place in Ireland over the last couple of decades.

STRICT ABORTION LAW:

In 1983, "destruction of unborn life" became punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment. In the 35 years since, tweaks have been made which allow women to legally access information and to travel abroad for treatment.

However, campaigns to abolish the amendment have been relentless, with increasing support following major scandals such as the "X case" in 1992 and the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar in 2012.