Alice Glenn

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Alice Glenn (born December 17, 1921) is a former Irish Fine Gael politician.

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[edit] Early and private life

Alice Glenn was born in Dublin in 1921. She was educated locally before attending the Haslem School of Dress Designing. She subsequently worked as a dress-maker.

[edit] Political career

Glenn first became involved in politics when she contested the 1973 general election as a Fine Gael candidate. She was unsuccessful on that occasion but was elected to Dublin City Council in 1974. She was also an unsuccessful candidate in the 1977 general election. Glenn was eventually elected on her third attempt at the 1981 general election. She lost her seat eight months in the first general election of 1982. She regained her seat in the second election in November 1982. She was the first woman elected to the Fine Gael national executive, the first woman member (in 270 years) of the Dublin Port and Docks Board and the first woman Chair of the Eastern Health Board.

Glenn achieved early party notoriety when in 1983 she was one of eight Fine Gael TDs to defy the party and vote against the Fine Gael-Labour coalition's proposed wording to the Pro-Life constitutional amendment on abortion.

The government's wording included a negative prohibition, namely that nothing in the constitution should be interpreted as granting a right to abortion. Glenn, along with Joe Doyle and other colleagues endorsed the Fianna Fáil alternative wording that granted a "right to life to the unborn, with due regard to the equal right of the mother". Glenn was famously quoted as saying that women voting against this amendment would be like "turkeys voting in favour of Christmas". On legislation to make contraception available to people over 18, she said "What man wants anything to do with a girl who has been used and abused by any man who comes along with condoms?" (Irish Times, 9 November 1984).

She was fiercely against the legalisation of divorce. The proposal to legalise divorce was defeated in a referendum in 1986. (The constitutional change was passed nine years later in the Fifteenth Amendment).

Glenn fought the 1987 general election as an Independent candidate but failed to be elected. She subsequently retired from politics.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Sources:McNamara,Maedhbh and Paschal Mooney. Women in parliament:Ireland;1918-2000. Dublin, Wolfhound,2000.

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