A Dutch organisation which hands out abortion pills aboard a ship that sails in international waters is ending its work due to new Dutch regulations on abortion treatment. Women on Waves accuses the ‘fundamentalist’ Christian party in the Dutch government of imposing these tougher laws.

Women on Waves, founded in the 1990s, helps women to terminate their pregnancies in countries where abortion is illegal. By sailing in international waters near the coastlines of these countries, the ship's crew and the women who visit the ship do not operate illegally.

Pills
It supplies women with abortion pills which can be used in the early stages of a pregnancy. Usually these pills cause a miscarriage. Women on Waves does not carry out surgical abortions aboard its ships.

Dutch law
Although the ships sail in international waters, the work of Women on Waves remains regulated under Dutch law, as its vessels sail under the Dutch flag. New regulations set by the cabinet earlier this year state that supplying abortion pills can only take place in a registered clinic, which these ships aren't. Should Women on Waves continue to hand out these pills, it would be operating illegally under Dutch law.

Women on Waves director Rebecca Gomperts says it has now become too dangerous to continue working. She puts the blame on the Dutch government, which she says contains ‘fundamentalist’ elements:

“It is the result of the Christian government that has been in place now for some years. What we see in the Netherlands is a backlash on a lot of medical and ethical issues. Actually, there’s quite a fundamentalist Christian party [the Christian Union] taking part in the government now”.

Ironic
Ms Gomperts notes it is somewhat ironic that while Women on Waves works in countries with tough anti-abortion laws, it is a Dutch regulation that has temporarily halted its work. “We’re not as liberal anymore as we used to be,” she says.

It’s a regulation that Women on Waves doesn’t understand:

“It’s a worrying development, because the World Health Organisation states that providing the abortion pill for early medical abortions can be done by any nurse, midwife or doctor, and it’s not necessary to do that in a special clinic. You just need a consultation room”.

Latin America
Women on Waves was about to set sail for Latin America to visit countries like Nicaragua, Brazil and Ecuador, where the problem of illegal abortion is huge. In a report published this week, Amnesty International states that in Nicaragua, 33 women have died so far this year because of a life threatening pregnancy. Amnesty blames the total ban on abortions in Nicaragua, saying that an abortion could have saved some of these lives.

Bans such as the one in Nicaragua can only lead to illegal abortions, says Ms Gomperts:

“Millions of women [in South America] have illegal abortions, and thousands of women die as a result. The ships can help them, put the issue on the agenda and create public awareness about the big social injustice that is being done by the illegality of abortion in these countries.”

Although its ships now remain at anchor, Women on Waves continues its work in regions like Latin America. It has set up and co-finances websites in Spanish and telephone help lines in Ecuador and Chile.

Listen to a Newsline interview with Rebecca Gomperts:

Photo by ANP