Cora Sherlock

Last updated

Cora Sherlock
Deputy Chairperson of Pro Life Campaign
Assumed office
2005;19 years ago (2005) [1]
Personal details
Born1976 (age 4748) [2]
NationalityIrish
Alma mater University College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast
ProfessionSolicitor
Known for Anti-Abortion campaigning

Cora Sherlock is a writer, blogger and campaigner in the Irish anti-abortion movement. She is deputy chairperson of the Pro Life Campaign. [3] In 2014, she was included in BBC's 100 Women series. [4]

Contents

Early life

Sherlock is from Collon, County Louth. She studied law at University College Dublin in 1993, and while studying there, she joined the Pro Life Campaign. [2] Sherlock completed a master's degree in Queen's University Belfast and qualified as a solicitor.[ citation needed ]

Political campaigning

She has been a pro-life/anti-abortion campaigner and activist since the early 1990s. [2] As deputy chairperson of the Pro Life Campaign she has written articles in national newspapers, and appeared on radio and TV on the abortion debate in Ireland.

2002 Abortion Referendum

Sherlock called for a yes vote on the Twenty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2002 (Ireland). The Pro Life Campaign also called for a yes vote. [5] She argued that "a Yes vote signifies our acceptance of the Government's commitment to find a realistic alternative to abortion, a matter which those who intend to vote No have studiously ignored to date."[ citation needed ] She voted against the Treaty of Nice in the 2001 referendum. [6]

Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act

Sherlock was opposed to the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013. [7] She said "It's a bad law, with no evidential basis". [8]

Referendum on the Eighth Amendment

Sherlock was opposed to the referendum on the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, [9] which passed. She was opposed to the Citizens Assembly, [10] and has spoken in favour of keeping the Eighth Amendment on newspaper, [11] radio, [12] [13] [14] [15] and TV. [16] [17]

Media

Sherlock has spoken on television and radio on behalf of the Pro-Life Campaign and the Love Both campaign, on programmes such as Vincent Browne Tonight and Prime Time. She has contributed articles and opinion pieces to newspapers, including The Irish Times , The Sunday Business Post , the Irish Examiner and The Irish Catholic .

During the 2018 referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, there was controversy when the Pro-Life Campaign wished to remove Sherlock from the RTÉ televised debate with Minister Simon Harris, in favour of Maria Steen. [18] [19] RTÉ refused to agree to the proposed change, and instead, Peadar Toibin TD was asked to debate on behalf of the Pro-Life side. [20] [21]

Sherlock's brother, Leo Sherlock, founded the online news website TheLiberal.ie in 2014. Cora Sherlock contributed articles to the website when it was founded, but none since 2014. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

Abortion in Ireland is regulated by the Health Act 2018. Abortion is permitted in Ireland during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, and later in cases where the pregnant woman's life or health is at risk, or in the cases of a fatal foetal abnormality. Abortion services commenced on 1 January 2019, following its legalisation by the aforementioned Act, which became law on 20 December 2018. Previously, the 8th Constitutional Amendment had given the life of the unborn foetus the same value as that of its mother, but the 36th constitutional amendment, approved by referendum in May 2018, replaced this with a clause permitting the Oireachtas (parliament) to legislate for the termination of pregnancies.

The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1983 was an amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which inserted a subsection recognising "the equal right to life of the pregnant woman and the unborn". Abortion had been subject to criminal penalty in Ireland since at least 1861; the amendment ensured that legislation or judicial interpretation would be restricted to allowing abortion in circumstances where the life of a pregnant woman was at risk. It was approved by referendum on 7 September 1983 and signed into law on 7 October 1983. In 2018, it was repealed by referendum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rónán Mullen</span> Irish politician (born 1970)

Rónán Thomas Mullen is an Irish senator and former delegate to the Council of Europe. He is the leader of the Human Dignity Alliance, an anti-abortion political party formed in 2018. He was elected by the National University Seanad constituency in July 2007 and re-elected in 2011, 2016 and 2020. He has topped the poll in every NUI Seanad election since 2011. Mullen is a frequent media commentator on social and political topics. The first National University of Ireland senator appointed to the Council of Europe, he received international coverage for his role in defeating the controversial McCafferty Report which sought to limit the right to conscientious objection for medical staff in the case of abortions.

John McGuirk is an Irish writer and political commentator. He is the editor of Gript, a website that has been described as conservative, far-right, and right-wing. McGuirk is also a regular contributor to The Irish Catholic.

Family Solidarity is an Irish conservative advocacy group run by lay Catholics. Founded in 1984 by supporters of the campaign that led to the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, it campaigned against the introduction of divorce. Nora Bennis was a member.

<i>Tonight with Vincent Browne</i> Irish TV series or program

Tonight with Vincent Browne,, was a news analysis, current affairs and politics programme which was broadcast on Ireland's TV3 from 2007 to July 2017. Its time on air coincided with the premierships of Brian Cowen and Enda Kenny, bookended by the conclusion of Bertie Ahern's premiership and the initial weeks of Leo Varadkar's. The Tonight Show, hosted by Ivan Yates (initially) and Matt Cooper, replaced it in mid-September 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pro Life Campaign</span> Anti-abortion advocacy organisation

Pro Life Campaign (PLC) is an Irish anti-abortion advocacy organisation. Its primary spokesperson is Cora Sherlock. It is a non-denominational organisation which promotes anti-abortion views, and opposes abortion in all circumstances, including cases of rape and incest.

The Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution Act 2012 amended the Constitution of Ireland to permit Ireland to ratify the 2012 European Fiscal Compact and to preclude measures taken under the Compact from being held to be inconsistent with the Irish constitution. It was approved by referendum on 31 May 2012, by 60.3% to 39.7%, on a turnout of 50% and was signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins on 27 June 2012.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 was an Act of the Oireachtas which, until 2018, defined the circumstances and processes within which abortion in Ireland could be legally performed. The act gave effect in statutory law to the terms of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the 1992 judgment Attorney General v. X. That judgment allowed for abortion where pregnancy endangers a woman's life, including through a risk of suicide. The provisions relating to suicide had been the most contentious part of the bill. Having passed both Houses of the Oireachtas in July 2013, it was signed into law on 30 July by Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland, and commenced on 1 January 2014. The 2013 Act was repealed by the Health Act 2018, which commenced on 1 January 2019.

The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Freeman (politician)</span> Irish psychologist and politician (born 1958)

Joan Freeman is an Irish psychologist, mental health activist and an Independent politician who served as a Senator from 2016 to 2020, after being nominated by the then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. She is the founder of Pieta House, a national mental health services charity. She resigned from Pieta House in 2014. She was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2018 presidential election.

The Citizens' Assembly is a citizens' assembly established in Ireland in 2016 to consider several political questions including the Constitution of Ireland. Questions considered include: abortion, fixed term parliaments, referendums, population ageing, and climate change. Over 18 months a report is produced on each topic. The government is required to respond officially to the reports in the Oireachtas (parliament); as of 9 April 2019 responses have been given on three of the five topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet O'Sullivan</span> Irish pro-choice campaigner

Janet O'Sullivan is a pro-choice campaigner in Ireland. She is a former spokesperson for the Abortion Rights Campaign. She publishes under both the Irish version of her name, Janet Ní Shuilleabháin, and the English version Janet O'Sullivan. In 2016, the BBC included her in the list of 100 Women for "inspirational and influential women for 2016"

Mellet v Ireland is a finding from the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2016 that the Republic of Ireland's abortion laws violated human rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by banning abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and by forcing her to travel to the United Kingdom for an abortion.

Women Hurt is an Irish anti-abortion organisation for women who regret having an abortion. They campaign against change in the state's abortion law. They have appeared on TV debates about abortion, and participated in anti-abortion protests.

Joe McCarroll is a conservative campaigner in Ireland. He has campaigned against abortion, same-sex marriage and divorce. McCarroll was a lecturer in ethics in Clonliffe College, Dublin. He also worked as an education officer with responsibility for school attendance, for Dublin Corporation. He was part of the editorial group of The Brandsma Review. McCarroll also had a book, Is the school around the corner just the same, published by Brandsma Books. He also contributed to other publications and newspapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Together for Yes</span>

Together for Yes (TFY) is an abortion rights campaign group in Ireland. It campaigned successfully for a Yes vote in the 2018 referendum to ratify the Thirty-sixth Amendment, which removed the Eighth Amendment's constitutional ban on abortion in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland</span> 2018 amendment liberalising abortion laws

The Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland is an amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which permits the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion. The constitution had previously prohibited abortion unless there was a serious risk to the life of the mother.

Maria Steen is an Irish conservative campaigner. A qualified architect and barrister, she is a member of the Iona Institute. She campaigned against referendums on same-sex marriage and abortion in Ireland in the mid-to-late 2010s and opposed the referendums on Family and Care in 2024.

Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR) is a campaign and support group seeking to change the law in Ireland to allow terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities. Amanda Mellet is a founding member. They campaign for better services for people who experience fatal foetal abnormalities. In 2016 they welcomed the Irish government's new guidelines on bereavement counselling for grieving parents.

References

  1. "Pro Life Campaign Newsletter - Birthright Summer 2005". Birthright. Pro Life Campaign. Summer 2005.
  2. 1 2 3 O'Regan, Mary (1 May 2014). "Cora Sherlock: 'Many Irish people live in a dreamland about abortion'". The Catholic Herald . Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. "About Cora Sherlock".
  4. "Cora Sherlock named one of BBC's 100 Women of 2014". The Irish Times . 28 October 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  5. Sherlock, Cora (11 February 2002). "Referendum on Abortion". The Irish Times.
  6. Sherlock, Cora (5 June 2002). "Nice Treaty Referendum". The Irish Times.
  7. Holland, Kitty (31 July 2014). "Enactment of Abortion Bill 'very sad day' for Ireland". The Irish Times.
  8. Holland, Kitty. "Enactment of Abortion Bill 'very sad day' for Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  9. "Tonight with Vincent Brown". Tonight with Vincent Brown. 24 April 2017. TV3.
  10. "Pro Life Campaign says Citizens' Assembly has pre-arranged outcome". RTE. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  11. Sherlock, Cora (9 July 2016). "Head to head: Cora Sherlock argues against repealing the eighth amendment". The Irish Times .
  12. https://soundcloud.com/user-268048055/2016-08-03-cora-fm104. 3 August 2016. FM104.{{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  13. https://soundcloud.com/user-268048055/2016-07-28-cora-morning-ireland. Monrning Ireland. 28 July 2016.{{cite episode}}: |url= missing title (help)
  14. https://soundcloud.com/irishtimes-politics/battle-lines-are-being-drawn-debating-the-8th-with-cora-sherlock-and-kate-oconnell. Irish Times Inside Politics. 3 August 2016.{{cite episode}}: |url= missing title (help)
  15. https://soundcloud.com/user-268048055/cora-sherlock-on-newstalk-2016-05-12. 12 May 2016. Newstalk.{{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  16. "Late Review". Late Review. 20 August 2015. TV3 (Ireland) . Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  17. "Tonight with Vincent Brown". 15 September 2015. TV3.{{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  18. Hosford, Paul (22 May 2018). "She wasn't allowed on the RTÉ debate, and now Maria Steen has pulled herself out of the TV3 one". The Journal. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  19. Hayden, Jade (26 May 2018). "Cora Sherlock confirms it was not her decision to drop out of Prime Time debate". Her.ie. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  20. Feeney, Oisin (26 May 2019). "Cora Sherlock explains that she didn't agree with pro-life side pulling her from RTÉ debate". buzz.ie. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  21. Bardon, Sarah (22 May 2018). "Cora Sherlock pulls out of TV abortion debate - Love Both spokeswoman says she is unavailable; RTÉ declines Steen as replacement". Irish Times. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  22. Author Cora Sherlock, TheLiberal.ie