Mary Doherty

A County Donegal woman behind an island-wide campaign to ban pornography plans to be a “successful” Irish version of the late Mary Whitehouse.

Mary Doherty,59, is to establish a ‘National Campaign to Ban Pornography' on both sides of the border.

The move follows her success last week in having strip shows at a bar at Moville on the Inishowen Peninsula stopped.

Doherty said initial support for the new campaign had been huge with anti-abortion groups in virtually every county rallying to her call.

The Buncrana woman is a member of the Christian Solidarity Party (CSP). She contested last year's general election in the Republic but only received 339 votes. Established in 1997 CSP stands for ‘family values' and is opposed to gay marriage, gay adoption, abortion and euthanasia. But has not won any seats yet.

She says the new campaign will target strip shows, prostitution, top-shelf magazines, magazines aimed at young girls and pornography from any broadcaster available in Ireland.

Doherty acknowledged that she could be compared to the late Mary Whitehouse who led a campaign against pornography in Britain: I hope I'll be more successful than she was.

Comment: Bible Bashing Failure

From Dan, 13th February 2008

So this Mary Doherty woman wants to be as "successful" as Mary Whitehouse?

Successful in doing what exactly. If Whitehouse had been successful we would have laws allowing homosexuals and blasphemers to be locked in the tower and porn viewers probably being burned at the stake.

On a serious note the only legislation she ever got brought in was Channel 4 putting up red triangles as a warning before they showed dirty movies. Oh yes she really was a pioneer!

What is this woman aspiring to? A failure of a bible bashing Christian that's what.

A Christian campaigner is protesting against the provocative message one Valentine's ad campaign is sending out to young lovers on the most romantic day of the year.

Christian Solidarity Party member Mary Doherty, from Donegal, is protesting against the Valentine's ad in Peacocks shop, Derry. The ad shows a glam brunette wearing sexy red and black underwear.

Mary - who set up the National Campaign against Pornography and Obscenity in the wake of strip shows in Donegal said: It is the way the model is reclining, with her chest sticking out and legs akimbo. This image is not about love on Valentine's Day. It depicts a woman as an object. Valentine's Day is about spreading love, it's not about raw sex.

She added: I demand Peacocks remove this advertisement. Underwear is an intimate part of our lives, not something that should be on show to the world. Some people may not see anything wrong with it, but this model is lying in a provocative pose in her underwear. Fair enough, show women in a feminine pose, but not as objects.

Peacocks defended its Valentine's lingerie poster campaign: We are sorry that this lady has offended by it - it was not meant to cause her discomfort. But this is an isolated complaint.

A one-woman protest against raunchy advertising outside the Peacocks clothing store in Waterloo Place last week has secured the support of Derry's Sacred Heart of Jesus Pro Life Group.

Christian campaigner Mary Doherty, from Donegal, staged a lone protest outside the shop, condemning their lingerie advertising and its alleged portrayal of women as "objects".

Bernadette Doyle, spokesperson for the Sacred Heart of Jesus Pro Life Group, told the 'Journal': Our stance on this issue is that Mary Doherty was quite right to protest last week at what we would also view as soft porn in underwear advertising at what is a family shop.

She went on: These adverts are immoral, very cheap and very anti-women and anti-children. It takes courage to go out and do what Mary Doherty has done. The woman portrayed in the Peacocks' advert is lying with her legs open.

Doyle said the display was totally unsuitable for viewing by children passing the shop. In general, advertising standards have morally dropped and a large amount of advertising has become soft porn. It's high time that women speak out against it and we call upon all women to stand up and speak out and make their feelings known.