Christine McCafferty

Christine McCafferty (née Livesley; born 14 October 1945) is a British Labour Party politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Calder Valley from 1997 to 2010 when the seat was won by Conservative candidate Craig Whittaker.

Christine McCafferty
Member of Parliament
for Calder Valley
In office
2 May 1997 – 12 April 2010
Preceded bySir Donald Thompson
Succeeded byCraig Whittaker
Personal details
Born (1945-10-14) 14 October 1945
Manchester, Lancashire, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)David Tarlo

Early life

She attended Whalley Range High School in Whalley Range, Manchester, then Footscray High School in Melbourne, Australia. She worked as welfare worker for disabled people for the CHS Manchester from 1963–70. From 1970–2, she was an education welfare officer for the Manchester Education Committee. From 1978–80, she was Registrar of Marriages for Bury Registration District. From 1989–96, she was a project worker for Calderdale Well Woman Centre.[1]

Before her election to parliament, McCafferty was a member of Hebden Royd Town Council 1991–95. She was also a councillor on Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council 1991–7, where she was chair of the Adoption Panel 1992–6. She served as member of the West Yorkshire Police Authority 1994–7.

Parliamentary career

McCafferty was selected as a Labour candidate through an all-women shortlist.[2] She was elected in the 1997 Labour landslide, replacing the Conservative Sir Donald Thompson who had held the seat since 1979. Her election was subject of the book This England by Pete Davies. She held the seat in the 2001 and 2005 general elections despite Tory resurgence.

In Parliament, she was a member of the Procedure Committee 1997–9, and of the International Development Committee 2001–5. Since 1999, she has also been a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, chairing the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health.[3] She was the author of the McCafferty Report,[4] which proposed to limit the freedom of medical professionals to decline to perform controversial medical practices, such as abortion, in order to insure access to medical treatment. The initiative was ultimately defeated when, on 7 October 2010, a narrow majority of Members adopted a number of amendments that turned it into its opposite: it now re-affirms the free exercise of conscientious objection, instead of restricting it.[5]

In 2007, McCafferty announced that she would retire at the next general election.[6]

References
  1. "Vote 2001: Candidates: Christine McCafferty". BBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  2. "Years at heart of valley life". Hebdon Bridge Times. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  3. "Home". www.appg-popdevrh.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  4. "Doc. 12347 (20 July 2010), Women's access to lawful medical care: the problem of unregulated use of conscientious objection" (PDF). Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  5. "PACE - Resolution 1763 (2010) - The right to conscientious objection in lawful medical care". assembly.coe.int. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  6. "McCafferty to stand down at next election". Evening Courier. Halifax. 7 May 2007. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007 – via archive.org.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Donald Thompson		 Member of Parliament for Calder Valley
1997–2010		 Succeeded by
Craig Whittaker
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