Dutch doctor says group will keep sending abortion pills to US women

France24 – AFP, 16 May 2022

Rebecca Gomperts, the founder of abortion-rights groups Women on Waves and
Aid Access, is seen in Amsterdam in September 2020 Remko de Waal ANP/AFP/File

Washington (AFP) – Rebecca Gomperts, a 55-year-old Dutch physician, has spent years fighting for women's access to abortion around the world. 

Made famous by her "abortion boat," as recounted in the 2014 documentary "Vessel," she and her Women on Waves group have anchored the ship in international waters off the coasts of Poland, Spain, Mexico and other countries, offering medical abortions to women otherwise unable to obtain them. 

But it is in the United States that interest has been surging in her other organization, Aid Access, which since 2018 has provided abortion pills over the internet. 

Behind the fast-rising demand is what appears -- based on a rare leak from the US Supreme Court -- to be the imminent end of federal protection for abortion rights. Once the court makes its decision official, probably next month, some 20 states are poised to ban or severely restrict abortions. 

"We're already seeing a huge increase in requests," Gomperts told AFP, saying some people were "panicking." 

"It's not only when this takes place; it has already made people aware how vulnerable they are." 

Aid Access, based in Austria, has been working with physicians to fill requests in the 20 US states where abortion pills can be legally prescribed by telemedicine. 

For requests from the other states, Gompert's group has exploited a legal loophole to send the pills from abroad. 

Demand was strong even before word of the high court's intentions leaked out. In a little more than a year (from October 2020 to December 2021), Aid Access says it received more than 45,000 requests from the United States. 

Reasons for the requests vary: the high cost of other abortion services, the cost and difficulty of traveling to distant abortion clinics, or the impossibility of doing so due to job or child-care demands. 

After filling out a questionnaire, women are instructed on how to take the pills at home. The price is adjusted depending on their ability to pay, and the pills are mailed from a pharmacy in India. Aid Access checks in with the women afterward. 

The most vulnerable

The pills are easy to find elsewhere on the internet, usually for a few hundred dollars. But those websites, also based outside the United States, are purely commercial and provide no medical support. 

For Gomperts, who in 2020 was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine, the fight for abortion rights is a matter of "social justice." 

"The biggest problem is that the women that are not literate, that cannot read and write, that have no access to internet -- the most impoverished group -- they will not be able to find these solutions," she said. 

Many of them would lack the resources to travel to a state where abortion remains legal. 

"These are the women that might be forced to give birth or that will take drastic measures to end their pregnancy."  

These pills -- mifepristone and misoprostol -- can be used in generally very safe
at-home abortions, experts say; this picture comes from the Plan C advocacy
group Elisa WELLS PLAN C/AFP/File

The certain result, Gomperts said, will be an increase in maternal mortality and morbidity. 

A safe method

According to a 2017 survey of several thousand women in the United States, 20 percent of those who had attempted an at-home abortion used the pills, 29 percent used other drugs, 38 percent used plant-based infusions and 20 percent tried physical methods (some used more than one method, so the total exceeds 100 percent). 

During recent demonstrations outside the Supreme Court, women protesters brandished a disturbing object, something that seemed an artifact from a long-ago era: metal clothes-hangers -- a symbol of highly risky abortions performed clandestinely. 

And yet, up to the 10th week of pregnancy, abortion pills are very safe, experts say. 

A demonstrator holds up a clothes hanger marked 'Never Again' during an abortion
rights rally May 3, 2022 outside the US Supreme Court Stefani Reynolds AFP/File

 Today they represent half of all abortions in the United States (in France, by way of comparison, the figure is 70 percent). And their use outside of any medical setting is a "very acceptable" option, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Two drugs are used: first a dose of mifepristone is taken to block the hormones that support a pregnancy; then, 24 to 48 hours later, misoprostol is taken to induce contractions. 

Complications that might require medical help -- an excessive flow of blood, an infection or an allergic reaction -- are rare. 

So, beyond the medical aspect, the real risk to at-home abortions is legal complications. 

The NGO If/When/How has counted 60 cases in which women who allegedly self-managed abortions, or people who assisted them, were arrested, charged or sentenced between 2000 and 2020. 

The group, which says it envisions "a future when all people can self-determine their reproductive lives free from discrimination, coercion or violence," helps find legal representation for such women. 

It fears the trend toward criminalizing abortion will be greatly aggravated if the Supreme Court rules as expected. 

Such a ruling, said Gomperts, "instills fear in people, and especially in health-care providers -- and that is the biggest impact."

'Sex strike' call over Georgia abortion law fuels Hollywood boycott debate

Yahoo – AFP, Javier TOVAR, with Brian Knowlton in Washington, May 12, 2019

Actress Alyssa Milano is leading a campaign for film production companies to boycott
Georgia over the state's new abortion law -- and has called for a sex strike as well
(AFP Photo/Rich Fury)

Los Angeles (AFP) - The recent love affair between Hollywood producers and the US state of Georgia, with its low taxes and affordable lifestyle, is suddenly in jeopardy.

Strict new abortion laws passed in the southern state have prompted calls not only for a boycott of filming there -- but for a sex strike.

A coterie of film stars led by actress-activist Alyssa Milano, including Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle, Ben Stiller, Mia Farrow and Amy Schumer, had threatened in March to refuse to work in Georgia if it adopted the new abortion restrictions.

But the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed the bill into law last week.

Several independent film and television production companies have since pledged to boycott the state unless the legislation -- which bans abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected, generally in the sixth week of pregnancy -- is rescinded.

"Killer Films will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this ridiculous law is overturned," the company's CEO Christine Vachon wrote on Twitter.

Milano -- the onetime star of "Charmed" and "Who's the Boss?" -- had said she would fight "tooth and nail" for her Netflix series "Insatiable" to stop filming in Georgia.

Singer and actress Bette Midler has voiced support for Alyssa Milano's call for a 

sex strike over the Georgia abortion law (AFP Photo/Angela Weiss)

But then she took it one step farther, urging women to join her in a sex boycott until the law was repealed.

"JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back," she wrote on Twitter.

"Protect your vaginas, ladies. Men in positions of power are trying to legislate them. #SexStrike"

Somewhat inevitably, the call by Milano -- whose profile has risen as the #MeToo movement has taken hold -- has sparked controversy.

'Surprisingly effective'

Though her idea earned praise on social media, including from actress Bette Midler, and #Sexstrike trended on Twitter for a while, the idea also earned scorn -- from both sides of the political spectrum.

Liberals accused the actress of pushing the idea that women have sex to make men happy, which she denied, while conservatives mercilessly trolled her.

Milano did not waver, even noting: "History shows that a #sexstrike is surprisingly effective."

Georgia's Republican governor Brian Kemp defiantly signed a new abortion law 

that has angered some film companies and actors (AFP Photo/Kevin C. Cox)

Sex strikes -- usually in the cause of peace or an end to sexual mistreatment -- have been carried out in countries from Colombia to Kenya to the Philippines, with varying success.

Perhaps the earliest reference came from "Lysistrata," Aristophanes' comedy about women in ancient Greece withholding sex to pressure their men to end the Peloponnesian War.

The women prevailed.

What's at stake

Georgia offers filmmakers a number of enticements: a far lower cost of living than in Los Angeles, a variety of landscapes and tax credits of up to 30 percent.

Blockbuster movies like Marvel's "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" were filmed in the state; television series including "Stranger Things" and "The Walking Dead" have been shot there.

Last year, more than 450 productions were set in Georgia, where they spent the non-negligible sum of $2.7 billion.

Kemp has stood firm, saying before he signed the legislation into law: "We protect the innocent, we champion the vulnerable, we stand up and speak for those unable to speak for themselves."

The new restrictions could mark a tipping point.

Several independent film and television production companies have pledged to
boycott Georgia state unless the legislation is rescinded (AFP Photo/ALEX WONG)

The Writers Guild of America, representing screenwriters, said the law would make Georgia "an inhospitable place" for industry people to work.

But the major studios -- with huge financial stakes at issue -- have remained largely quiet.

Chris Ortman, a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America -- which represents Hollywood heavyweights including Paramount, Sony, Universal, Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix -- said the group would "monitor developments" and wait for the courts to decide.

The film industry, he added, supports 92,000 jobs in Georgia -- a fact that did not go unnoticed by some lawmakers who are worried about employment.

"I appreciate the calls to action... but please do not #boycottgeorgia," tweeted Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who nearly defeated Kemp in November's election.

"The hard-working Georgians who serve on crews & make a living here are not to blame. I promise: We will fight - and we will win."

With a nod to Abrams' plea, directors Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams told The Hollywood Reporter that they will proceed with filming their new show "Lovecraft Country" in the state -- but they will donate their "episodic fees" to groups fighting the abortion law.

Related Article:

Supreme Court blocks Louisiana abortion law

Supreme Court blocks Louisiana abortion law

Yahoo – AFP, February 8, 2019

The case was considered a test for the Supreme Court to the right under
President Donald Trump (AFP Photo/MANDEL NGAN)

Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Louisiana law that critics say would limit access to abortion in the southern state.

The decision was made by a narrow majority -- 5 votes to 4 -- with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the court's progressive justices to block the legislation, which would have taken effect Friday.

It was considered a test for the high court, swung to the right under President Donald Trump.

The law would require doctors at Louisiana's abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a hospital less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) away.

According to pro-choice advocates, that is too restrictive -- leaving only one doctor able to perform the procedure in the whole state.

But the state of Louisiana argued that due to risks of complications, it was vital to be able to transfer patients to neighboring hospitals.

That convinced an appeals court, which after years of hearings, allowed the law to finally come into force this week.

But those challenging it filed an emergency brief in the Supreme Court asking for it to block the law as they sought an appeal.

They argued that even if they were to win later, the impact of the law coming into effect would be irreversible and closed clinics would not be able to reopen.

In doing so, they highlighted a similar law in Texas that the Supreme Court in 2016 found to be unconstitutional.

The law was backed by conservative judges Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh -- both picked by President Donald Trump.

Two years ago, Chief Justice Roberts voted to uphold the law in Texas. But with his vote on Thursday, he brought new balance to the court.

Abortion rights around the world

Yahoo – AFP, Janet MCEVOY, June 14, 2018

Activists calling for the approval of a bill that would legalize abortion demonstrate
in front of the Argentine Congress in Buenos Aires (AFP Photo/Eitan ABRAMOVICH)

Paris (AFP) - Abortion, which Argentine lawmakers on Thursday voted to legalise, is banned in some 20 countries worldwide, while others have highly restrictive laws in place.

Here is a snapshot of the global situation:

Total ban

Predominantly Catholic Malta is the only European Union country to totally ban abortion, imposing jail terms of between 18 months and three years if the law is broken.

Abortion is also banned in Andorra, the Vatican and San Marino, which are in Europe but not the EU.

Globally there are total bans in Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Laos, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Philippines, Palau, Senegal and Suriname.

In El Salvador the internationally criticised criminalisation of those found to have terminated pregnancies has led to women being sentenced to jail terms of up to 30 years.

Restricted

Many countries allow abortions in cases where the mother's life is deemed to be in danger.

A partial list includes: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Myanmar, Paraguay, South Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen.

In Argentina abortion is currently illegal except in cases of rape or when the life or health of the woman is at risk.

Legislation that will decriminalize it during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and beyond that in cases where the foetus suffers from conditions not compatible with life outside the womb, will now go before the Senate.

In Brazil the law only allows terminations in cases of rape, risk to the life of the mother or if the foetus is missing part or all of the brain.

Last September Chile lifted a strict ban, which had been in force for decades, when then president Michelle Bachelet signed into law legislation to decriminalise abortion in certain cases, including on health issues.

On May 22 a decades-old abortion ban went to South Korea's supreme court.

Pressure for change

Women from Europe and North America benefit from the most liberal legislation, with some notable exceptions.

Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, abortion is also illegal in the province of Northern Ireland except when the mother's life is in danger.

On June 7 Britain's Supreme Court said it would have declared Northern Ireland's abortion laws incompatible with human rights legislation if not for a procedural technicality in what pro-choice campaigners hailed as a victory.

In late May, more than 66 percent of voters in traditionally Catholic Ireland voted by a landslide to ditch its strict abortion laws, where abortion is only allowed if a mother's life in at risk, in a referendum. New legislation is now being drawn up.

In EU member Poland, which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the bloc, a new bill submitted my ultra-conservatives would restrict abortion even further. The bill unleashed mass demonstrations across the country.

In the United States abortion was legalised nationwide in 1973, but this has been under pressure since Donald Trump became president, with some Republicans seeking restrictions.

The US state of Iowa in early May signed into law a ban on abortions once a foetal heartbeat is detected, which occurs as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The Midwestern state now has the strictest legislation on abortion in the US.

(Sources: Guttmacher Institute, World Health Organization, Center for Reproductive Rights, AFP)

Ireland overturns abortion ban in landslide vote

Yahoo – AFP, Robin MILLARD, Julien LAGACHE, May 26, 2018

Yes campaigners rejoice ahead of the final result of a landmark referendum in which
Ireland voted by 66 percent to ditch its strict abortion laws (AFP Photo/Paul FAITH)

Dublin (AFP) - Ireland voted by a landslide to ditch its strict abortion laws in a landmark referendum that Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said had finally lifted decades of stigma and shame.

More than 66 percent of voters in what has been a traditionally staunchly Catholic country backed repealing the constitutional ban on terminations, triggering scenes of tearful jubilation in Dublin on Saturday after a divisive and often emotional campaign.

Hugging, celebrating, singing and cheering wildly, thousands crammed into the courtyard of Dublin Castle, where the official result was declared, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Wonderful, wonderful, today is wonderful!" said 65-year-old Eileen Shields, who had been ostracised for falling pregnant outside of marriage when she was 18.

The crowds cheered and popped champagne corks as the result was announced. Women and men wearing "Repeal" tops and "Yes" badges waved Irish flags and placards reading "Thank you", with love hearts on.

Speaking through tears, Stasia Clancy, 64, said: "This is like an explosion of the repression and the suppression of the last 100 years."

At Dublin's RDS count centre, 40-year-old nurse Ruth Bowie wept at the results.

She told AFP: "I had to leave my country to get the healthcare that I needed when I was told that my baby wouldn't survive outside the womb and I've told my story over and over again just in the hope that this day would come -- and it's finally come."

Key facts on Ireland's abortion law (AFP Photo/Brice LE BORGNE)

'Veil of stigma lifted'

The final results of Friday's referendum showed 66.4 percent voted for removing the constitutional ban, while 33.6 voted against.

Some 1,429,981 votes were cast for Yes. The turnout was 64 percent.

Among the 40 constituencies, the pro-choice vote peaked at 78 percent in Dublin Bay South, while rural Donegal was the only one to vote against liberalising abortion, by 52 percent.

"A quiet revolution has taken place," Varadkar said in a speech at Dublin Castle.

"No more stigma. The veil of secrecy is lifted. No more isolation. The burden of shame is gone."

He said Saturday would be remembered as the day Ireland "stepped out from under the last of our shadows and into the light. The day we came of age as a country."

His government proposes allowing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and between 12 and 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.

Varadkar said he wanted the law in force by the end of the year and Health Minister Simon Harris told AFP that the cabinet would meet on Tuesday to approve the drafting of legislation.

The crowds cheered and popped champagne corks as the result was 

announced (AFP Photo/Paul FAITH)

Crumbling church influence

The result is another hammer blow to the Roman Catholic Church's authority in Ireland, coming three years after referendum voters backed legalising same-sex marriage by 62 percent.

The Church's influence has crumbled in recent years due to a series of child sex abuse scandals.

The referendum comes three months before Pope Francis visits Ireland for the World Meeting of Families.

An exit poll for The Irish Times newspaper suggested 70 percent of women and 65 percent of men voted to overturn the ban.

People over 65 voted 60 percent against. However, all other age groups backed the proposal, with support at 87 percent among voters aged 18 to 24.

Ailbhe Smyth, 71, co-director of the official Together for Yes campaign, said real-life testimonies from women affected by the ban had helped swing the vote.

"The stories, the experiences, women's voices, women's and couples, it was a central part of our strategy," she told reporters.

The Love Both official pro-life campaign said regardless of the result, "our work will continue to protect unborn babies and their mothers".

Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar hailed the vote as a "quiet revolution" 

(AFP Photo/Paul FAITH)

"Our campaign does not end with the referendum, but when the government properly supports the mother and child," it said.

Abortion is still banned in some 20 countries worldwide, while others have highly restrictive laws in place. In the European Union, predominantly Catholic Malta is the only country with a total ban.

'The North is next'

Ireland introduced a constitutional ban on abortion following a 1983 referendum. Terminating a pregnancy carries a 14-year maximum jail term.

The law was tweaked in 2013 to allow terminations if the mother's life is at risk.

The ban has led to thousands of women travelling each year to neighbouring Britain, where terminations are legal, or increasingly turning to abortion pills sold online.

Since 1983, around 170,000 Irish women have gone abroad for terminations.

In the UK, abortion is legal on the British mainland, but remains outlawed in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein's party leaders from both sides of the border held up a placard at Dublin Castle reading: "The North is next".

Related Articles:

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Seven in 10 Dutch support abortion rights: survey

Campaigning for abortion rights in 1974. Photo: SPAARNESTAD Photo/NA/

Anefo/unknown photographer

Kryon Q&A

Question: Dear Kryon, thank you for the many communications you have given. They have been enlightening in many ways. I hope this is not a rude question, but it is a subject that I have not seen addressed in the collection of Questions and Answers. I want to know: What is the morality of stopping someone's new life in the physical plane, by abortion? And what is the karma to the person who helps to accomplish an abortion? I think it will depend on when a Human life begins. When life begins is a moment that is very important to those who oppose abortion and those who say it is allowable.

Do you have a decisive response to guide those who receive your words?

Answer: [from Lee Carroll] We have tried to "paint" Kryon into a corner on this many times, since it really is an important issue in our society. Kryon says this: "Human life actually begins when the intent of the entities involved in the planning session is to create it." It's not a biological answer, and it won't please either side.

This places it far before any kind of biological morality decision. Kryon has said that there is no judgement in the choice of Humans... including this one. When it occurs, there is also no horrible karmic payback. But there IS energy created that affects everyone around the event. Sometimes these lives come and go to create lessons for those involved, then these terminated lives return almost immediately, often within the next pregnancy (sometimes changing gender). If there is no next pregnancy, often it's in a very close family group.

God is not in a vacuum concerning these things, and often they are set-ups, and are executed with the agreement of all parties in advance. This is far different than our society wishes to believe. They want to paint a black and white answer to when life occurs, and set rules on what you can and cannot do with it. Instead, Kryon's answer gives honor and validity to the fact that you are not here by accident, and the things that take place in your lives are not random. Not to mention the fact that your free choice is the free choice of God (since you are a piece of God).

So we leave the biological cultural decisions for those who wish to make them, but we have heard the spiritual answers many times... that these things are far more than they appear, and are all part of our spiritual setups, and they are honored.

"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa,Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism, Higgs Boson), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

"... I want to define life for you - not biological life, but spiritual life. So for all those intellectuals, just hold on, for many won't like this. Spiritual life, as measured by Spirit, is when a Human has free choice. When is that? It's when they take their first breath. Not in utero. There will be those who will say, "That's wrong, that's wrong. The soul in the woman's body is alive!" Just wait. I'm talking about spiritually. That which Spirit sees, and it's when you come from the other side of the veil and take your first breath.

A child with the mother has no free choice. That child is linked to the choice of the mother until it is born. It is, indeed, a soul in preparation for free choice, and there are many attributes that are spiritual that we have discussed before about how that soul reacts. But now I'm discussing life with polarity [duality], free choice.

But let's discuss that "child inside" for a moment, for there is a process I want you to know about. I want to talk about 240 days into the pregnancy. At about that time, the child has perfect DNA. It hasn't taken its first breath. The DNA hasn't measured the energy of the planet yet, since it is contained. Did you realize that? Inside the womb is a perfect child. The child's DNA has all the attributes of the Akash and also the parent, but it's different in a way you have not been told. The DNA is 100% as designed.

The quantum instructions within the DNA are all talking to the biology of the child,, getting ready for the first breath. ..."

"THE THREE WINDS" – Feb 23-24, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Humanity, Home - other side of the veil, Wind of Birth - Birth, Wind of Existence - Life, Wind of Transition - Death) - (Text version)

Dutch hospital sets up fetal tissue bank for birth defect research

DutchNews, January 26, 2018

Photo: Depositphotos.com

Amsterdam University’s AMC teaching hospital is to actively approach women who have undergone an abortion or parents who have suffered a still birth to ask if they will donate the foetus to a special tissue bank. 

Researchers will then use the tissue from the foetus to find out more about birth defects and normal fetal growth. 

‘Very occasionally people whose child was born dead or had an abortion have asked us if they could help medical science,’ coordinator Bernadette de Bakker said in a press release. ‘But that generated too little tissue for real research.’ 

Parents will be asked as soon as possible if they are willing to donate the foetus because speed is of the essence to ensure the results of the research are trustworthy, De Bakker said. Donations will be stored anonymously. 

Some of the foetuses will have genetic defects – the reason for most later stage abortions – or will have been subject of a miscarriage. 

Downs

‘For example, we don’t know why one child with Downs has limited abilities but why others can go to a normal primary school,’ said the project’s initiator and genetics professor Raoul Hennekam. ‘Or why some develop heart defects and others don’t.’ 

The foetuses donated by parents who had an abortion for what the AMC terms ‘social’ reasons will be studied to learn more about normal development. 

Abortion is legal in the Netherlands up to 24 weeks but almost half of all abortions take place before seven weeks. 

Dutch boat 'Women on Waves' in Mexico to offer women legal terminations

A Dutch sailing boat offering legal abortions has taken up a position off the west coast of Mexico. It is offering free, legal medical terminations for the victims of sexual violence.

Deutsche Welle, 23 April 2017

The Women on Waves boat arrived off the coast of Guerrero state last week on the invitation of more than 40 women's organizations who are campaigning for abortion to be legalized throughout the country.

On Thursday the ship sailed out to international waters where two women received safe, medical abortions. The women were given abortion pills and remained under observation for several hours before returning to shore. The female crew does not perform surgical abortions.

#MujeresEnLasOlas en #Guerrero!! Linea Aborto 755 9800548
#HagamosOlas
#WomenOnWaves pic.twitter.com/ep6iGFPsCQ

— Women on Waves (@WomenOnWaves_) April 22, 2017

Speaking in Ixtapa on Friday, President of the Women on Waves group, Rebecca Gomperts said access to safe abortions was a matter of "social justice" in Latin America.

Abortion has been legal in the capital of Mexico for the last ten years. "It's absurd that according to geography, where women live in Mexico determines ... if they can access a legal and safe abortion," said Regina Tames, head of Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), a Mexican women's rights group.

"Access to abortion in cases of rape is really quite limited," Tames said.

The Women on Waves boat was cleared by Mexican authorities to stay offshore, registered as a private vessel. During the boat's last voyage to Guatemala it was detained by the army and expelled. It was unable to carry out any terminations at that time.

The ship has previously been to Ireland, Morocco, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

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Dutch initiative brings in €181m for family planning campaign

Abortions rise slightly but Netherlands still one of lowest global rates

Dutch initiative brings in €181m for family planning campaign

DutchNews, March 2, 2017

Dutch aid minister Lilianne Ploumen speaks at the launch. Photo: Belga Photo
Nicolas Baterlinck via HH

So far €181m has been donated to the She Decides campaign, launched by Dutch aid minister Lilianne Ploumen to boost access to contraception and abortion in developing countries. 

The aim of the project is to mitigate the effect of US president Donald Trump’s  decision to withdraw $535m in funding for groups that assist with or advocate abortion around the world. 

In total, 57 countries sent delegates to the project’s launch conference in Belgium on Thursday, which was organised by the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, the Dutch foreign ministry said. 

Finland and Sweden have both donated €10m, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway a further €10m each. The Bill Gates Foundation has pumped €20m into the fund, but the biggest private donation came from an anonymous donor who handed over €50m. 

Support

‘Last year alone Dutch support for women’s organisations helped to prevent an estimated six million unwanted pregnancies and half a million abortions,’ Ploumen said at the launch of the initiative in February. ‘The decision by the United States threatens to undermine these results. We mustn’t let that happen.’ 

One of the organisations affected, Marie Stopes International, has predicted that Trump’s move will result in 6.5 million unwanted pregnancies, 2.2 million unsafe abortions and the deaths of 21,700 young mothers in the next four years. 

The conference saw the launch of a Group of Friends initiative to give leadership to the organisation. 

‘The Brussels conference is … a signal to the world that women and girls have the right to decide themselves whether or not to become pregnant, with whom and how many children they want,’ Ploumen said.

Minister #Ploumen: 'We need a Group of Friends to catalyse #SheDecides, strategize, plan, monitor and share information' pic.twitter.com/mNwn9L9Zml

— Netherlands 🇳🇱 MFA (@DutchMFA) March 2, 2017

Related Article:

13 countries sign up to support Dutch safe abortion initiative