Irish voters will go to the polls on March 6 to vote on a referendum that would amend Ireland's constitution to allow abortion in cases where the pregnancy would place the woman's life in danger, excluding cases that involve the threat of suicide, the London Telegraph/Washington Times reports (Coman, London Telegraph/Washington Times, 2/3). Ireland, a largely Roman Catholic country, currently maintains a constitutional ban on abortions in all circumstances (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 9/17/01). However, "confusion" arose over the issue in 1992 when the Irish Supreme Court heard the case of a minor who was threatening suicide in an attempt to obtain an abortion. The court ruled that abortion should be permitted when pregnancy puts the life of the woman in danger, but opponents have campaigned since that time to exclude suicide threats from this provision. The referendum would clarify the legality of abortions in cases where a woman's life "would be endangered by the act of giving birth," but it would not allow abortions for women who threaten to commit suicide if they do not receive an abortion. Opposition parties that favor a "more liberal law" for abortion rights have vowed to "vigorously" campaign against the proposal, while antiabortion activists are pleased with their successful fight to add the restriction for cases of threatened suicides. The latest polls showed that 39% of voters support the government's proposal, 34% oppose the proposal and 21% are undecided. "[T]housands of women" travel to Britain every year in order to undergo legal abortions; data from 2000 reveal that more than 6,000 patients who visited British abortion clinics that year listed addresses in Ireland (London Telegraph/Washington Times, 2/3).