It Starts With Silence
Available here for purchase.
In the Autumn of 2015, my wife and I were delighted when it was confirmed that she was pregnant with our first child.
The ten week scan was a relief, when the midwife informed us that "the baby has lovely long legs". It seemed that all was well.
Tragically, at nineteen weeks' gestation, we were told that the baby might be incredibly ill. We found out a week later that she would die during pregnancy, during birth or shortly after being born. If the baby survived birth, she would suffer terrible pain and be offered pain relief, until she stopped breathing. The fate of our prospective child was a heavy burden for us and our world began to crumble, as we searched for answers. Eventually, we realised that our hopes and dreams would ultimately result in pain. We were yet to find out the extent of trauma we would both be forced to endure.
Had we been living in England, we would have been given the option to terminate the pregnancy, as the condition was so grave.
Northern Ireland, was the only part of the UK, where terminating a pregnancy was illegal, in almost all circumstances. This included pregnancy resulting from rape, incest and fatal foetal abnormalities, where survival outside the womb is impossible. However, people could travel to England and pay for abortions in private clinics. The NHS would not provide terminations in Northern Ireland or England, for people living in Northern Ireland.
Denise was too ill to travel to England and was forced to continue with the pregnancy. We were left in limbo, living each day not knowing if that would be the day.
The Law
The Offences Against The Person Act 1861 regulated the provision of abortions in Northern Ireland. The Abortion Act 1967 was never extended to Northern Ireland. The ambiguous legislation meant that medical professionals were reluctant to provide advice and information with regard to terminating pregnancy. There was a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for any person who underwent an abortion and for anyone providing assistance. Medical professionals were not willing to take the risk of facing legal proceedings.
Activism
Around the time that Denise became pregnant, there was mounting pressure on the Northern Ireland Assembly to change the abortion laws. On 30th November 2015, the High Court in Belfast ruled that the law, which prohibited termination of pregnancy, in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and rape, was a violation of a woman’s right to personal autonomy, and constituted a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, ‘Right to respect for private and family life’. This ruling triggered a series of appeals, court cases and votes, which ran parallel with our own personal tragedy. In 2017, the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and refused to legalise abortions in Northern Ireland.
People have been campaigning for access to reproductive healthcare in Northern Ireland for over 50 years, and as the gravity of our desperate situation unravelled, we too became actively involved in campaigning for the law to be changed.
Denise made contact with pro-choice activist groups, who we joined on marches in Belfast and Dublin. With the help of Alliance for Choice and Together for Yes, we canvassed in Ireland, door-to-door, to Repeal the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution.
We lobbied MPs in Northern Ireland and, with the help of Amnesty International, we met with MPs in London and official committees in Belfast, including a delegation from the United Nations. We provided evidence, as interveners, to the UK Supreme Court and shared our story with the media, in order to highlight the perverse effects of the law in Northern Ireland. Our hope was that other people would not have to suffer as we have.
The Current Situation
We welcomed the abolition of the unduly restrictive law, in 2019. However, at the time of publishing this page, in the spring of 2021, despite the law being changed, access to reproductive healthcare continues to be heavily restricted.
Northern Irish political parties remain defiant on ensuring that people do not get access to abortions in Northern Ireland. First Minister, Arlene Foster, warned the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to "back-off" when he advised the Northern Irish government to implement the law change. The battle for essential healthcare for people with crises pregnancies continues.
Our personal story is but one of many stories. Women, girls and families have suffered and continue to suffer, as a result of being denied terminations, often in harrowing circumstances. This work only scratches the surface but my intention is to add another voice and help to highlight the injustice and oppression, to which families in Northern Ireland continue to be subjected.
The Book Concept
‘It Starts With Silence’ takes the viewer on a deeply personal journey, a search for understanding and solace. It depicts my struggle to see beauty in the world, whilst knowing that I was powerless to help my wife and daughter.
It is about living in the political landscape of Northern Ireland, a place to which Denise was desperate to return, a place that I am still seeking to understand, whilst attempting to reconcile my feelings and beliefs, and reflecting upon how our personal tragedy would have evolved, had we remained living in England.
I try to communicate the complexities of my emotions, while reflecting upon state sanctioned violence, forced birth, baby loss and lack of access to compassionate healthcare.
In 2019, my book dummy was shortlisted for the Unseen Photobook Award.
The 2021, Kehrer published book, has been designed and produced with great care. The images below are spreads from the book.
Please click here to order a first edition book.
This book is dedicated to all who have suffered oppression, to all who have shared their personal trauma, to all who have fought, and continue to challenge injustice.
The Book
Texts by Richard Gosnold
Designed by Richard Gosnold and Loreen Lampe.
Hardcover, 16.5 x 22cm
142 pages plus gatefold
82 colour and b/w images
Galaxi Art Supermat (FSC) 150 & 90gsm
ISBN 978-3-96900-022-9
