"It was clear from the outset that some students didn't want to give me a chance as (Student Union) President because of my views on abortion," she said.
Ascough, who was elected student union president for the Irish college on March 9 of this year, faces potential impeachment for following legal counsel that advised her to remove information on obtaining abortions from the student handbook.
Abortion is illegal and unconstitutional in Ireland, and Ascough said she was told by legal advisers that the abortion information in the handbook could cost the school upwards of tens of thousands of euro in fines. Distribution of the illegal information could have also resulted in criminal convictions for dozens of school administrators, who also could have been fined up to €4,000 each.
"The main reason that a group of students are calling for my impeachment is because of my decision to not break the law and illegally distribute abortion information," Ascough said in her letter.
She wrote that she "sought legal advice regarding the abortion information from the Union's long-standing lawyer" who "advised that it would be prudent to avoid proceeding with the current handbook," which contained information on the illegal procedure of abortion.
She also noted at the Board of Directors agreed with this decision, and supported the re-printing of the handbooks, which amounted to nearly €7,000. Ascough believed this cost was worth the potential risk of fines the school could have received if they left the handbooks as they were.