Women on Waves
Encyclopedia
Women on Waves is a Dutch
pro-choice
non-profit organization
created in 1999 by Dutch physician
Rebecca Gomperts, in order to bring reproductive health services, particularly non-surgical abortion services, to women in countries with restrictive abortion laws. Other services offered by WoW include contraception
and reproductive counseling. Services are provided on a commissioned ship that contains a specially constructed mobile clinic. When WoW visits a country, women make appointments, and are taken on board the ship. The ship then sails out to international waters
(where Dutch laws are in effect on board the ship) to perform the medical abortions.
. While visiting Latin America on-board the Rainbow Warrior II, the organization was inspired by a desire to further facilitate social change & women's health. In some developing countries, as many as 800 illegal, unsafe abortions are performed daily, in contrast to some developed nations, such as the Netherlands, where residents have access to safe, legal, medical abortions & contraception. In collaboration with Atelier von Lieshout, she designed a portable gynaecology
unit called "A-portable" that can be installed on rented ships. The stated goals of the organization are to raise awareness and stimulate discussion about laws regarding abortion
which they allege to be restrictive, as well as to provide safe, non-surgical abortions for women who live in countries where abortion is illegal.
in 2001. The ship carried two Dutch doctors and one Dutch nurse.
in 2003. Poland's official polling company, Centrum Badania Opinii Spolecznej
, found that prior to WoW's visit, 44% of the population supported the liberalization of abortions laws, and that after the visit, the percentage rose to 56%.
waters was blocked when the government refused to allow them entry, and physically blocked their ship with a Portuguese Navy
warship
.
, where it had a mixed reception. Some demonstrators supported the group, others opposed it. According to Catholic News Agency
,
As the ship attempted to dock amid both pro-life and pro-choice protesters, harbor patrol agents manning a small boat lassoed a rope around the helm of the ship and attempted to pull it away from the dock.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
created in 1999 by Dutch physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Rebecca Gomperts, in order to bring reproductive health services, particularly non-surgical abortion services, to women in countries with restrictive abortion laws. Other services offered by WoW include contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
and reproductive counseling. Services are provided on a commissioned ship that contains a specially constructed mobile clinic. When WoW visits a country, women make appointments, and are taken on board the ship. The ship then sails out to international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
(where Dutch laws are in effect on board the ship) to perform the medical abortions.
Rebecca Gomperts
Rebecca Gomperts is a doctor, artist and women's human rights activist. Born in 1966, Gomperts grew up in the harbor town of Vlissengen, Holland. She moved to Amsterdam in the 1980s where she studied art and medicine simultaneously. Drawing on her experiences as a resident doctor on the Greenpeace vessel under Capt. Bart J. Terwiel Rainbow Warrior II , Gomperts created WoW in order to address the health issues created by illegal abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. While visiting Latin America on-board the Rainbow Warrior II, the organization was inspired by a desire to further facilitate social change & women's health. In some developing countries, as many as 800 illegal, unsafe abortions are performed daily, in contrast to some developed nations, such as the Netherlands, where residents have access to safe, legal, medical abortions & contraception. In collaboration with Atelier von Lieshout, she designed a portable gynaecology
Gynaecology
Gynaecology or gynecology is the medical practice dealing with the health of the female reproductive system . Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women"...
unit called "A-portable" that can be installed on rented ships. The stated goals of the organization are to raise awareness and stimulate discussion about laws regarding abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
which they allege to be restrictive, as well as to provide safe, non-surgical abortions for women who live in countries where abortion is illegal.
Ireland
Women on Waves made its maiden voyage aboards the Aurora to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 2001. The ship carried two Dutch doctors and one Dutch nurse.
Poland
WoW sailed the Langenort to PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 2003. Poland's official polling company, Centrum Badania Opinii Spolecznej
Centrum Badania Opinii Spolecznej
Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej is an opinion polling institute in Poland, based in Warsaw. Originally established in communist Poland in 1982, it has operated as a non-profit public foundation created by a special law since 1997...
, found that prior to WoW's visit, 44% of the population supported the liberalization of abortions laws, and that after the visit, the percentage rose to 56%.
Portugal
In 2004, their attempt to enter PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
waters was blocked when the government refused to allow them entry, and physically blocked their ship with a Portuguese Navy
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal....
warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
.
Spain
In 2008, Women on Waves' ship landed in Valencia, SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where it had a mixed reception. Some demonstrators supported the group, others opposed it. According to Catholic News Agency
Catholic News Agency
The Catholic News Agency is a provider of news related to Catholicism to an English speaking audience worldwide. It is headquartered in Denver, Colorado....
,
"On October 18, a group of 40 feminists gathered to counter the pro-life protests, which brought out four times as many people. They passed out boxes of matches with the picture of a burning church and the caption, 'The only church that brings light is the one that burns. Join us!'
On October 19, the feminists met again to distribute matches but decided to disband after they were overwhelmed by the large number of pro-life protestors who gathered at the port where the abortion ship was docked."
As the ship attempted to dock amid both pro-life and pro-choice protesters, harbor patrol agents manning a small boat lassoed a rope around the helm of the ship and attempted to pull it away from the dock.
External links
- women on waves.org Women on waves website
- Vessel Documentary film about Women on Waves
- Feminist Daily news on the Portugal Issue
- JANERA.com Woman on a Wave: Talking to Rebecca Gomperts, Interview by Janera Soerel