Nuala Ann Scarisbrick (18 January 1939-31 August 2021), was co-founder in 1970, with her husband Jack Scarisbrick, and National Administrator of Life, a British anti-abortion charity.

Early life

She was the eldest of the three children of Thomas Izod, a civil servant, and Ann O'Dwyer, a nurse, who lived in

Ewell Ewell ( , ) is a suburban area with a village centre in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, approximately south of central London and northeast of Epsom. In the 2011 Census, the settlement had a population of 34,872, a majority of wh ...

, Surrey; she was born at St Thomas' Hospital, London. She attended Rosebery Grammar School for Girls in

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

, Surrey, before studying English at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. After university she was employed as a brand manager by

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy dri ...

and then as a teacher in

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...

. She was married in 1965 to John Joseph ‘Jack’ Scarisbrick, a Tudor historian, who was then teaching at

Queen Mary College , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

. She became a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and they had two daughters, moving to Leamington Spa in 1970 where her husband had been appointed Professor of History at the

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

Founder of Life charity

In response to the

1967 Abortion Act The Abortion Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom legalising abortions on certain grounds by registered practitioners, and regulating the tax-paid provision of such medical practices through the National Health Service (NH ...

in August 1970 she and her husband co-founded Life, which went on to become one of the most effective and successful anti-abortion activist groups. They both held strong opinions about respecting all human life from conception to natural death. The Life charity not only opposed abortion but also offered support for pregnant women. Early on she took in pregnant girls to her own home. She helped set up a series of Life houses to provide accommodation for mothers with crisis pregnancies. She was National Administrator until she stepped down in 2017 with the onset of Alzheimer's disease. She also was actively involved in Life's national helpline, setting up the counselling service, the educational programme and operations. She travelled the country as a public speaker and to support the anti-abortion cause. She also supported the setting up of anti-abortion groups in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Papal honour

In 1991 she was voted Catholic Woman of the Year, and in 1993 she was conferred as a Dame of the Papal Order of Saint Sylvestre; her husband became a Papal knight in 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarisbrick, Nuala Ann 1939 births 2021 deaths People from Ewell Alumni of University College London British anti-abortion activists English Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism