Women on Waves

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Women on Waves (WoW) is a Dutch, non-profit, pro-choice, women's human rights organization created in 1999 by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts and co-founder Capt Bart Terwiel, 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.

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[edit] 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.[1] Drawing on her experiences as a resident doctor on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior II , Gomperts created WoW in order to address the health issues created by illegal abortion While visiting Latin America with her then-boyfriend, Capt. Bart J. Terwiel, on-board the Rainbow Warrior II, the organization was inspired by a desire to further facilitate social change & women's health. As 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.[2]

[edit] Voyages

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2008)

[edit] Ireland

Women on Waves made its maiden voyage aboard the Aurora to Ireland in 2001. The ship carried two Dutch doctors and one Dutch nurse.[3]

[edit] Poland

WoW sailed the Langenort to Poland in 2003.[4] Poland's official polling company, Centrum Banania Opinii Spolecznej, found that prior to WoW's visit, 44% of the population supported the liberalization of abortions laws, after the visit the percentage rose to 56%.[5]

[edit] Portugal

In 2004, their attempt to enter Portuguese waters was blocked when the government refused to allow them entry, and physically blocked their ship with a Portuguese warship.


[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Corbett, Sara (Aug. 26 2001), Rebecca Gomperts Is Trying to Save the World for Abortion, NY: The New York Times Magazine, <http://www.bard.edu/hrp/resource_pdfs/corbett.gomperts.pdf> 
  2. ^ Ferry, Julie (Nov. 14, 2007), The abortion ship's doctor, UK: Guardian, <http://www.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,,2210593,00.html>. Retrieved on 14 November 2008 
  3. ^ Chocano, Carina. The "abortion boat" steams toward Ireland (HTML). Salon.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
  4. ^ Frenkiel, Olenka & Agnew, Lara (Oct. 26 2003), written at UK, O'Connor, Karen, ed., Abortion Ship, BBC News, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/3187614.stm> 
  5. ^ Women on Waves Cleared of Accusations in Poland (HTML). Wire story. Feminist Daily News (Nov. 6 2003). Retrieved on 2008-02-01.