Breda O'Brien

{{Short description|Irish newspaper columnist and Catholic conservative pundit}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Breda O'Brien

|nationality = Irish

|occupation = Journalist, Teacher

|alma_mater = Mater Dei Institute of Education

}}

Breda O'Brien (born 1962) is an Irish teacher and columnist, writing a weekly column for The Irish Times. O'Brien is a frequent spokesperson for Catholic-based views on political issues such as opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. She founded the Irish chapter of Feminists for Life in 1992.{{cite news|title='Feminists for Life' to lobby|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=24 September 1992|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1992/0924/Pg004.html|first=Mary|last=Cummins|accessdate=28 July 2016|page=4}}

Early life and education

Born in Dungarvan, County Waterford, O'Brien was educated at the Convent of Mercy, Dungarvan and later at the Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin, qualifying as a teacher.

Career

O'Brien taught English and Religion, at Muckross Park College, a public Catholic girls' school, between 1983 and 1987. She later returned to this post in 1992, and has remained there since. She has worked as a video producer and communications trainer in the Catholic Communications Centre (founded by the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference), Booterstown, Dublin from 1988 to 1991. She worked as a researcher for RTÉ from 1991 to 1992. Her career as a columnist began with The Sunday Business Post from 1997 to 2000 and continued with The Irish Times.{{cite book |editor-last=Bourke |editor-first=Angela |title=The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing: Irish Women's Writing and Traditions, Volume 5 |publisher=NYU Press |year=2002 |isbn=9780814799079}}

O'Brien is a patron of the Iona Institute, a conservative Catholic pressure group,{{cite news|url=http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Should-we-let-mothers-marry-their-daughters-conservative-Breda-OBrien-asks-on-marriage-referendum-.html#|title="Should we let mothers marry their daughters?" conservative Breda O'Brien asks on marriage referendum - IrishCentral.com|last=Kayla Hertz|work=IrishCentral|accessdate=2 March 2015}} and appears regularly in the Irish media as a contributor, supporting the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In her Irish Times column, she has expressed her opposition to abortion in all circumstances, including rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormality,{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/premium/loginpage?destination=http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/despite-some-awful-dilemmas-abortion-is-not-an-option-1.727607|title=Despite some awful dilemmas, abortion is not an option|last=O'Brien|first=Breda|location = Dublin|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=27 September 2016}} and to same-sex marriage.{{cite news|newspaper=The Irish Times|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/2003/0802/Pg012.html|title=First casualty of sexuality debate is balance|first=Breda|last=O'Brien|date=2 August 2003|accessdate=28 July 2016|page=12}}

Her stance on civil partnerships has changed. Initially opposed to them in 2008,{{cite news|last=O'Brien|first=Breda|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/same-sex-relationships-no-substitute-for-marriage-1.944466|access-date=27 September 2016|date=12 July 2008|page=14|newspaper=The Irish Times|title=Same-sex relationships no substitute for marriage}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=5 July 2008|access-date=27 September 2016|page=14|last=O'Brien|first=Breda|title=Activists using 'homophobia' label as bullying tactic|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/activists-using-homophobia-label-as-bullying-tactic-1.942974}} and 2010{{cite news|newspaper=The Irish Times|last=O'Brien|first=Breda|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/upside-down-world-if-church-denied-freedom-of-speech-1.683562|date=26 June 2010|accessdate=27 September 2016|title=Upside-down world if church denied freedom of speech|page=14}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Irish Times|accessdate=27 September 2016|date=6 Feb 2010|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/genuinely-tolerant-society-will-not-be-a-cold-house-for-religion-1.618591|title=Genuinely tolerant society will not be a cold house for religion|last=O'Brien|first=Breda|page=16}} by 2015, in the run up to the Irish marriage equality referendum, she claimed to be in support of them.{{cite news|last1=Ryan|first1=Órla|title='Should we allow mothers to marry their daughters?'|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/marriage-referendum-1895782-Jan2015/|accessdate=16 February 2015|agency=TheJournal.ie|date=22 January 2014}}{{cite episode|title=Breda O'Brien - interviewed on the Marian Finucane Show|url=http://www.rte.ie/radio1/marian-finucane/programmes/2014/0222/506035-marian-finucane-saturday-22-february-2014/?clipid=1424181|accessdate=16 February 2015|series=Marian Finucane Show|station=RTÉ Radio 1|date=22 February 2014}}

{{Blockquote|text=Marriage is already under assault in every way from heterosexuals. Do we wish to redefine it in an even more radical way? ... It is never pleasant to take a stance like this, and it must be a thousand times less pleasant to be the person who is told that important values like equality must take second place to the common good.|author=Breda O'Brien|source=}}

O'Brien, along with other members of the Iona Institute took legal action against RTE and Panti Bliss for being labelled as homophobes for campaigning against marriage equality. This was the impetus for Panti's Noble Call speech.

She is married, and has four children who have been home-schooled.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/defending-the-right-to-home-educate-children-1.1891594|title=Defending the right to home educate children|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=9 August 2014|first=Breda|last=O'Brien|accessdate=12 July 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/profile/breda-o-brien-7.2276464|title=Breda O'Brien|publisher=The Irish Times|accessdate=12 July 2016}}