Ruth Deech, Baroness Deech
Encyclopedia
Ruth Lynn Deech, Baroness Deech, DBE (née
Fraenkel; b. 29 April 1943, Clapham
, London
) is a British
academic, lawyer and bioethicist
, most noted for chairing the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
(HFEA), from 1994 to 2002. Lady Deech sits as a Crossbench peer in the House of Lords
(since 2005) and Chairs the Bar Standards Board (since 2009).
Deech studied Law
at St Anne's College
, Oxford
, graduating with a first in 1965. She returned to the college in 1970 to be a tutorial fellow in Law, a job she retained until 1991 when she was elected principal
of the college. She retired in 2004, and was succeeded by Tim Gardam
. The college has since named its latest building after her; the Ruth Deech Building, the fourth to be named for a principal.
Deech held many other positions during her career; she served as Senior Proctor
of the University of Oxford
between 1985 and 1986, as a member of the University's Hebdomadal Council of the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
from 1994 until 2002, and was appointed to a four year term as a Governor of the BBC
in 2002, the same year that she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), in recognition of her work at the HFEA.
After leaving St. Anne's, Deech was appointed the first Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education
from 2004 to 2008, dealing with the resolution of student complaints at all UK universities.
On 22 July 2005, it was announced by the House of Lords Appointments Commission
that she would be made a life peer
, sitting as a Crossbencher. On 5 October 2005, she was created Baroness Deech, of Cumnor
in the County of Oxfordshire
, and introduced
in the House of Lords
on 25 October 2005. She delivered her maiden speech
on 24 November 2005.
In 1999, The Observer
newspaper named her as the 107th most powerful person in Britain, and in 2001, Deech was placed at no.26 in Channel 4
's "The God List", which ranked "the fifty people of faith in Britain who exercise the most power and influence over our lives". In November 2007, Deech published IVF to Immortality: Controversy in the Era of Reproductive Technology, with co-author Anna Smajdor.
Deech is currently the Professor of Law
at Gresham College
in London, where she presents a series of public lectures on family relationships and the law.
and has one daughter. She was a member of the Jewish Leadership Council until 2010, was a Rhodes Trustee 1996-2006, and a founding Trustee of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation. Her interests include travel, opera, theatre, entertaining and public speaking.
and then Prague
from the Nazis in 1939. He arrived in Britain on 3 September 1939, the day the Allies declared war on Germany. Several other members of her family were murdered in Nazi concentration camps in German occupied Poland during World War II
. Her first cousin is Maurice Frankel
, Director of the UK Campaign for Freedom of Information
.
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Fraenkel; b. 29 April 1943, Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic, lawyer and bioethicist
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
, most noted for chairing the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a statutory body in the United Kingdom that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination and the storage of human eggs, sperm or embryos. It also regulates Human Embryo research...
(HFEA), from 1994 to 2002. Lady Deech sits as a Crossbench peer in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
(since 2005) and Chairs the Bar Standards Board (since 2009).
Career
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at St Anne's College
St Anne's College
St Anne's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Formerly a women's college, it has been coeducational since 1979 and now prides itself on being "a modern, forward-looking, intellectually ambitious college"...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, graduating with a first in 1965. She returned to the college in 1970 to be a tutorial fellow in Law, a job she retained until 1991 when she was elected principal
Principal (academia)
The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.-Canada:...
of the college. She retired in 2004, and was succeeded by Tim Gardam
Tim Gardam
Tim Gardam MBE is a British journalist and educator.Gardam is the son of the novelist Jane Gardam. He studied at Westminster School and gained a double first in English from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He subsequently worked at the BBC , and as director of programmes at Channel 4...
. The college has since named its latest building after her; the Ruth Deech Building, the fourth to be named for a principal.
Deech held many other positions during her career; she served as Senior Proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
between 1985 and 1986, as a member of the University's Hebdomadal Council of the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a statutory body in the United Kingdom that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination and the storage of human eggs, sperm or embryos. It also regulates Human Embryo research...
from 1994 until 2002, and was appointed to a four year term as a Governor of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 2002, the same year that she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), in recognition of her work at the HFEA.
After leaving St. Anne's, Deech was appointed the first Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education
Office of the Independent Adjudicator
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education is a body that handles students' complaints against universities within England and Wales Higher Education...
from 2004 to 2008, dealing with the resolution of student complaints at all UK universities.
On 22 July 2005, it was announced by the House of Lords Appointments Commission
House of Lords Appointments Commission
The House of Lords Appointments Commission is a non-partisan, non-statutory, independent body in the United Kingdom. It has three roles:*to recommend people for appointment as non-party-political life peers;...
that she would be made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
, sitting as a Crossbencher. On 5 October 2005, she was created Baroness Deech, of Cumnor
Cumnor
Cumnor is a village and civil parish west of the centre of Oxford, England. The parish of Cumnor includes Cumnor Hill, , Chawley , the Dean Court area on the edge of Botley and the outlying settlements of Chilswell, Farmoor and Swinford...
in the County of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, and introduced
Introduction (House of Lords)
Introduction is a ceremony in the House of Lords whereby new members are "introduced" to the existing membership. Introductions in the Lords are more elaborate than those in the House of Commons.-Origins:...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
on 25 October 2005. She delivered her maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 24 November 2005.
In 1999, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper named her as the 107th most powerful person in Britain, and in 2001, Deech was placed at no.26 in Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's "The God List", which ranked "the fifty people of faith in Britain who exercise the most power and influence over our lives". In November 2007, Deech published IVF to Immortality: Controversy in the Era of Reproductive Technology, with co-author Anna Smajdor.
Deech is currently the Professor of Law
Gresham Professor of Law
The Professor of Law at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596/7, when it appointed seven professors. This has since increased to eight and in addition the college now has visiting professors...
at Gresham College
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
in London, where she presents a series of public lectures on family relationships and the law.
Personal life
Baroness Deech is married to a solicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and has one daughter. She was a member of the Jewish Leadership Council until 2010, was a Rhodes Trustee 1996-2006, and a founding Trustee of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation. Her interests include travel, opera, theatre, entertaining and public speaking.
Family
Deech is the daughter of the late historian and journalist, Josef Fraenkel, who fled ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and then Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
from the Nazis in 1939. He arrived in Britain on 3 September 1939, the day the Allies declared war on Germany. Several other members of her family were murdered in Nazi concentration camps in German occupied Poland during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Her first cousin is Maurice Frankel
Maurice Frankel
Maurice Frankel is director of the UK Campaign for Freedom of Information.He has worked with the Campaign for Freedom of Information since it was set up in 1984, and has been its director since 1987...
, Director of the UK Campaign for Freedom of Information
Campaign for Freedom of Information
The Campaign for Freedom of Information is a lobbying group based in the United Kingdom that campaigns for Freedom of information in the United Kingdom and against unnecessary secrecy by the UK Government.It is not affiliated with any political party....
.
See also
- House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, Crossbench Peers http://www.crossbenchpeers.org.uk - St Anne's CollegeSt Anne's CollegeSt Anne's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Formerly a women's college, it has been coeducational since 1979 and now prides itself on being "a modern, forward-looking, intellectually ambitious college"...
, University of Oxford http://www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk - Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) http://www.oiahe.org.uk
- Gresham CollegeGresham CollegeGresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
http://www.gresham.ac.uk - Bar Standards Board