Good Faith.
Good Faith. The eighth artwork from the Law on the Wall series by Lawyers Arts Club.
The title Good Faith is taken from the Abortion Act 1967 section 1.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TWO WORDS
With just two words you can have the greatest impact. What else can compare to the words Thank You? Is there anything more powerful than the couplet Love you? How about I’m Sorry? Or what is more memorable than when your partner says I do or when you hear those magical two words - I’m pregnant.
Verity by Damien Hirst
WHY GOOD FAITH?
Good faith is can change people’s lives more than we might realise. As much as good faith is taken from the Abortion Act 1967 it is not constrained to it. Buying a homeless person a cup of coffee, letting someone go before you whilst driving, or even holding the door open for someone. Acts of good faith restore and maintain hope that humanity can work together and help even the most distant stranger out a little.
WHAT LAW IS ON THE WALL?
The phrase is taken from the Abortion Act 1967, the legal context implies that a woman will not be prosecuted for having an abortion as long as it is performed by a medical professional. This doctor will form an opinion of good faith as to whether the abortion is more beneficial than fatal for the mothers physical and mental health, as well as what is best for her family.
Abortion Act 1967. 1 Medical termination of pregnancy (1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a person shall not be guilty of an offence under the law relating to abortion when a pregnancy is terminated by a registered medical practitioner if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith— (a) that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family; or (b) that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman; or (c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated; or (d) that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.
THE LAW IS CLEAR
Its there in black and white. Further clarification on key phrases and the law can be found here courtesy of the CPS.
“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
PRO LIFE PROTESTORS
The Abortion Act 1967 is not necessarily agreed with by everyone. All around the world there are a group of people who share the ideology of pro-life over pro-choice. These protestors believe that in getting an abortion you are killing the child and that is inhumane. Examples of these groups have sometimes gone to the extreme conditions. In protest there has been thousands of crimes committed against abortion givers and their clinics. These crimes include robbery, vandalism, trespassing, arson, bombings, assault, kidnapping and in some cases murder.
Good Faith by Rene Magritte 1965
GOOD FAITH IN OTHER LAWS
Good faith is found in human interactions, and represents a sincere intention to be fair, open and honest, no matter if the outcome benefits the provider of good faith or not. The phrase is not just assigned to abortion but is found across contract law also. When considering the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, this stands for the general presumption that anyone involved in a contact will treat each other honestly, fairly and in good faith.
WHY IS THE PHRASE ‘GOOD FAITH’ SO IMPORTANT IN 2021 AN BEYOND?
The importance of a woman’s choice to be a mother or not is a basic human right. If two doctors form the opinion that an abortion is more beneficial to the woman’s physical and mental health. By carrying out the procedure then they shall be doing so based on a opinion of good faith.
Miley Cyrus collaboration with @plannedparenthood @happiehippiefdn @marcjacobs
CHOICE MATTERS
The responsibility of bringing another person into this world and caring for them is a huge duty. No matter the circumstances of how an individual became pregnant one fact remains the same. Choice over your own body, decisions and future matters.
INTERNATIONAL ABORTION RATES
One of the nations with the highest rates of abortion is Russia. According to UN reports, Russia's abortion rate is 53.7 per 1,000 women. Vietnam has the second-highest rate at 35.2, followed by Kazakhstan with 35. On the opposite end, Mexicohas the lowest abortion rate of 0.1, followed by Portugal with 0.2. Abortion is legal in all of these nations.
Dido performing her song Isobel live at Brixton Academy. Isobel is a song from a man’s perspective whose partner has disappeared to get an abortion.
RAPED INTO PREGNANCY
According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales in 2017 it is reported that about 20% of women have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16. This equals about 3.4 million women in just England and Wales. If you relate this to a widely cited article from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1996, around 5% of raped women are likely to become pregnant as a result.
THE SAD TRUTH
Theoretically, taking into account the research from above around 170,000 women in England and Wales have been diabolically been forced into making a life changing decision. Good faith in England gives these brave women the option to abort the baby from their assailant if they should wish to.
The principle of acting in good faith is at the heart of decent work.
PAULA REGO'S ABORTION SERIES
In Portugal 1998, a referendum was in full swing to legalise abortion. After long deliberations the referendum was denied and abortion remained illegal in the south-western European country. In response, well established artist Paula Rego created the powerful ‘Abortion Series’. The images depict women who have just or are about to start the procedure. They represented the dangers of making abortion illegal, as women would go to unsafe, dirty and not certified clinics to have the baby removed. Rego’s artwork is praised as being a big part in the decision to form a second referendum in 2007, which resulted in abortion being legalised.
Untitled No.1 by Paula Rego 1998
POLISH WOMENS RIGHTS
Poland has been at the heart of the battle between pro-life and pro-choice. In 1993 the Polish government passed the forbidding of abortion unless the mother has been raped, is at risk health wise or the baby is disabled. Polish women were forced to either not have an abortion or do it illegally if they did not fall into the criteria. In 2016 anti-abortion groups began to form to push tighter restrictions on abortions. The petition received enough signatures to be put to government. On the 22nd October 2020, PiS (Law and Justice), the party in charge of Poland, decided it was now unconstitutional to abort a baby with a disability. Meaning that women have even less opportunity to be shown some good faith and choose their future.
INTERACTIVE ART THAT SPARKS DISCUSSION
This is an on going, ever evolving interactive artwork to keep people engaged with the law and the discussion that comes from it.
