Reproductive rights have always been a controversial topic in many cultures and societies, however, these controversies have been brought a lot closer to home since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Rebecca Gromperts, a Dutch physician, among many other artists, physicians, and activists suggest that abortion is a human rights issue. The United Nations have published studies that state that criminalizing abortion does not eliminate or radically reduce abortion rates, it just increases the number of unsafe abortions that are performed. About 68,000 people die each year after receiving an unsafe abortion, most of them living in poverty in the Global South.

Women on Waves is an organization that was started by Rebecca Gromperts in 1999 after she graduated from medical school in the Netherlands and became a physician. After she graduated, she joined Greenpeace and traveled around South America where she saw how women who were forced to go through unwanted pregnancies were physically and psychologically harmed by their situation. She was interested in the ways reproductive healthcare can be available to women in countries where reproductive rights are limited or illegal. Growing up in the Netherlands, Gromperts never had to worry about her own reproductive health rights because the Netherlands has some of the most relaxed reproductive healthcare laws in Europe. These include access to reproductive healthcare like STI testing through health insurance, a wide array of free contraceptive methods, and universal access to abortions until 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Gromperts’ privilege informed her decision to start the organization Women on Waves which addresses an urgent medical need to draw public attention to the consequences of unwanted pregnancy and illegal abortion. This organization provides support to women in countries with more restrictive reproductive health laws by working alongside local organizations to change  laws. The organization often uses technology, political action, and art to accomplish its goals of providing women with universal access to reproductive healthcare.

One of the most creative projects that Gromperts has worked on is an art installation called A-portable (2000) in collaboration with esteemed Danish artist, Joep van Lieshout. The van Lieshout installation itself is a shipping container with a fully functioning mobile gynecological clinic inside. The clinic is staffed by nurses and physicians who provide a variety of services both on and off the water. On shore, the Women on Waves staff offers legal and medical workshops, sex education, and legal contraceptive methods like condoms. On the way out to sea, the staff provides patrons with sonograms and counselling services, and once the boat arrives in international waters, the doctors are able to provide folks with abortion pills.

You may be asking yourself, “how is this shipping container clinic providing women with legal abortions in places where abortion is illegal?” This phenomenon occurs because of the international agreement that once a boat is 12 miles off the shore of any country, it exists in international waters where the laws that apply to the boat are those of the country that the boat came from. In this case, the Dutch reproductive healthcare laws apply allowing people to access safe, legal abortions.

The reason why this shipping container is able to travel to places where reproductive rights are being attacked is because of its rigorous paper trail proving to authorities that the container is an art piece shown in galleries internationally. This paper trail is crucial to the initiative because the container itself is not allowed to carry medical supplies across borders. However, with the legal proof that the equipment is a part of the art installation, the container can bypass regulations because art is not considered political by border officials.

The existence of A-portable perfectly illustrates the strong connection between art and activism that is often ignored. To me, art is inherently political and provocative because it often represents a strong point of view. A-Portable is a direct response to the attacks on reproductive rights around the world. The bold statement that this art piece makes is not one that has been taken lightly around the world. Women on Waves has had to deal with protestors, court cases, death threats, and harassment. The Portuguese government even launched warships to stop Women on Waves and protect its population from the feminist invasion. In reality, the ones who are under attack are the women who are unable to access safe, legal reproductive healthcare.

Of course, the lives being changed by A-portable are just a lucky few. The major downside to this project is that it cannot be accessed by all people due to limited resources and high demand. The way Women on Waves chooses who receives reproductive healthcare on A-portable is through their hotline. However, there are more calls than spots available to receive healthcare due to the installation having to spend a certain amount of time in gallery spaces.

It is a tall ask for one person or one art piece to change the status of reproductive rights around the world, but A-portable can be seen as a vehicle for change (literally). A-portable along with the other work that Women on Waves does, shows that there are a great deal of people who are fighting for universal access to reproductive healthcare. It also shows how big problems can sometimes be addressed through creative solutions instead of using traditional “political” strategies. Carrie Lambert-Beatty addresses the work that Women on Waves and A-portable is doing by saying, “Women on Waves is not art, nor is it not-art: rather it tacks between art and politics in much the same way it moves between actual human rights mission and media-political campaign”. 

Source:

https://www-jstor-org.proxy.queensu.ca/stable/pdf/10.1086/521179.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Af6442af48b024ac31edcb33a08e78696&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1

Header by: Valerie Letts