The Tanáiste has told the Dáil that Ireland will make a decision tomorrow that will have real consequences in how Irish society moves forward.
Simon Coveney also said the Government was proceeding in the "only way that's possible in order to comprehensively respond in a compassionate way to the challenges that many Irish women will face in the future".
He was responding to Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty who asked the Tanáiste to join with him in a particular appeal to men to vote yes tomorrow.
"Our loved ones, our wives, our daughters, our mothers, they deserve our trust, our compassion and support," Mr Doherty said.
"We have an opportunity to address the secrecy, the stigma and in many ways the hypocrisy of how Ireland has dealt with abortion," Mr Coveney said.
He also said he had to confront his own views on the issue following the work of the Citizen's Assembly.
Labour leader Brendan Howlin said it is essential to reiterate that no change in Irish law is possible unless people vote to repeal the Eighth Aamendment.
Mr Coveney said he agreed with Deputy Howlin: "If people decide to vote no tomorrow what they are essentially saying is that we can change nothing and that Ireland is frozen in time on this issue.
"That is not okay for me, and I don't think it is okay any longer for a lot of people.
"Just to be clear that some people seem to be spreading untruths, that we can change the laws for penalties - that is not the advice of the attorney general" he said.
The Tánaiste added: "If they vote no tomorrow, no further change is possible to help women and we will continue to send them on a flight to Birmingham and Manchester".
Mr Howlin also called on the government to mount an information campaign to encourage people to continue to engage with screening services and to take up vaccinations.
The Tánaiste said Ireland has high uptakes of the CervicalCheck and BreastCheck screening programmes.
He said a campaign advocating vaccines is already underway and there has been an increase in the uptake of the HPV vaccine for girls.
Additional Reporting Justin McCarthy
