John Hanafin
John Gerard Hanafin is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician, who was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2002 to 2011. He was elected by the Labour Panel. Hanafin is the brother of the former cabinet minister Mary Hanafin and the son of the former Senator, Des Hanafin. He was first elected to the Seanad in 2002 and re-elected in 2007. He was a member of North Tipperary County Council representing the Thurles area from 1988 to 2003.
He called for a yes vote in unsuccessful 2002 abortion referendum, which would have rolled back the X Case.
On 7 July 2010, he resigned the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party whip, along with Labhrás Ó Murchú and Jim Walsh, in protest at the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 which gave some legal recognition to same-sex couples. He rejoined the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party on 23 November 2010. In 2015 there was a referendum on full same sex marriage, which passed by 62%.
Hanafin lost his seat at the 2011 Seanad election. He was nominated to the Industrial and Commercial Panel for the 2016 Seanad elections but was unsuccessful in regaining a Seanad seat.
In September 2015, Hanafin was appointed as Honorary Consul to the Russian Federation in Thurles, County Tipperary.
At the Fianna Fáil Árd Fheis in 2017, Hanafin advocated again for retention of the 8th Amendment, linking abortion to a lack of supply of babies for adoption.
In November 2017, Hanafin entered talks with serving politicians about establishing a rural, anti-abortion political party.
He was an unsuccessful Fianna Fáil candidate at the 2020 Seanad election.
