Why You Should Vote No in the Impeachment Referendum

By Joseph Barcoe | Oct 25 2017

This referendum has been compounded with confusion so I’m going to keep this brief and to the point.Katie Ascough was elected to be UCD Student’s Union President. She was not elected to break the law. Nor should she be expected to.Katie Ascough sought legal advice. She was told the abortion information in the ‘Winging It’ handbooks would be illegal to distribute. She followed that legal advice - as was prudent of any 21-year-old in their first job. It is clear that if you receive legal advice, you should follow said legal advice. In doing so, she was avoiding a potential personal criminal conviction and fines of up to €4000 for herself, members of her team and others involved.This is the reason the impeachment referendum was called. This is what you are voting on.Why is it that some UCD students want Katie to break the law? Breaking the law isn’t “respecting a pro-choice mandate,” it’s breaking the law.If the same situation had happened involving any other individual, there would not have been an impeachment referendum called. Those calling for Katie’s impeachment have been doing so from the day she was elected. They are doing so now out of hate and with no real case.And so the task is put to you, fellow UCD students. Would you choose to vote to impeach a democratically elected president who followed the advice of a lawyer?When you vote on Wednesday or Thursday, you are making history. Be fair, vote no.