Jo-Anne Dobson

Jo-Anne Elizabeth Dobson (née Elliott; born 3 January 1966) is an Ulster Unionist Party politician in Northern Ireland who was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011.^[1]

Early life and education

Dobson began her education at Abercorn Primary School and continued her studies at Banbridge Academy. As a strong advocate for the Upper Bann consistency she is heavily involved in charitable roles and in local environmental and farming scenes.^[2]

Political career

Dobson was elected to Craigavon Borough Council in a by-election in 2010 - winning 64% of the vote.^[3] Upon her election to Stormont she stepped down from Council in 2012, being replaced by Colin McCusker, General Secretary of the Ulster Unionist Party.

On 14 October 2014, Dobson was selected by the Upper Bann Ulster Unionist Association to be the party's candidate for the Upper Bann constituency in the 2015 general election. She won 13,166 votes, thus increasing the Ulster Unionist Party's percentage vote by 1.2% on the previous general election and coming second in this closely fought campaign.

Policy positions

Same-sex marriage

In 2012, Dobson responded to a Christian organisation that claimed to be able to cure gay people and said she "would pray that marriage would not be redefined".^[4] In 2015, Dobson voted against a motion to legalise same sex marriage in Northern Ireland.^[5]

Equality legislation

In March 2015, Dobson voted in support of a controversial motion to amend the equality bill to allow business owners to discriminate against customers based on their religious beliefs.^[5] This motion was in response to the Northern Ireland "gay cake" row ^[6] in which Ashers Bakery refused to make a cake for a customer who supported same-sex marriage. The "conscience clause" as it is known has generated criticism within the media and from the equality commission.^[7]

Organ donation

In December 2012 Dobson tabled a Private Member's Bill at the Northern Ireland Assembly to change the existing organ donation laws in Northern Ireland. In February 2013 she was elected as chairperson of the newly created Northern Ireland Assembly All-Party Group on Organ Donation ^[8] During the International TED conference, held at the Northern Ireland Assembly,^[9] she dedicated her speech to the memory of Josie Kerr, who, alongside her husband Walter, founded the Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund, describing her as "an ordinary lady, who led an extraordinary life".

Personal life

Dobson is the eldest child of Joanie and Eric Elliott. She has a younger sister, Belinda. She married John Dobson, a farmer, when she was 20. The couple has two sons, Mark and Elliott.

References

External links

• UUPER BANN: UUP holds onto two seats
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Jo-Anne Dobson MLA
• Dobson takes up organ donation role