Being a proud feminist and a firm pro-choice supporter, I pride myself in catching up with the latest feminist news. I’m always on the radar for the newest trends or stories about women embarking on remarkable journeys in the name of feminism, so you could imagine my embarrassment when I saw a trailer for the trailblazing pro-abortion documentary Vessel (2014). I thought to myself, “When did this get released, and how did I not know this sooner?” Soon as the goose bump-inducing trailer finished, I searched the web for interviews, screenings and any other information I could wrap my mind around, and was pleased to know that I could rent and stream this film on a number of services online. Thank you, internet!

So I rented Vessel, a story about a group of women who sail on a boat providing women from anti-abortion countries safe abortions in international waters by director Diana Whitten. The story behind Vessel isn’t all that it is made out to seem in the trailer or any article you’ve probably read about by now. That is the magic of this story; it really shows you the rawness and the many troubles that undoubtedly came along with a mission as sensitive as this. And quite a mission it was, and still is today.

Vessel follows the incredible journey of the 1999 Dutch pro-choice organization Women on Waves. Founded by physician Rebecca Gomperts, WOW is a team of women horrified by the rising number of deaths resulting from the complications of illegal abortions in countries where abortions are forbidden. Together, WOW works to provide safe abortions via an abortion pill. Believing these women are being deprived of their human right, Gomperts and her team sought out a way to provide safe abortions legally, and found a loophole within the legal system: illegal abortion regulation does not apply in international waters. Armed with this discovery and the inspiration to help these women, WOW was created, and was fully equipped with a boat that met every requirement as an offshore medical center.

[SPOILERS AHEAD!]

Unsurprisingly, the loophole was not well received by countries whom firmly disagree with terminating pregnancies, and WOW was unfortunately prevented from providing abortions their first two campaigns. We witness the desperation and hurt the team feels when they can provide their services to the many women who anticipated their arrival. Their hotline was filled with pleas from women who could not wait for WOW to save them. Some of these women detail horrific reasons as to why they wish to terminate their pregnancies, including a woman who’s pregnancy resulted from a rape, and a woman who will be lashed if it is discovered she is unmarried and with child.

Stories like these are a heavy weight for Gomperts and her team to carry, and you feel their hurt for not pulling through with their promise due to legal complications for both their first two voyages in Ireland and Spain. Though WOW members were not able to provide the medical services onboard, they were welcome by protestors and media groups, either demanding them to leave or demanding more information about their services. Gomperts admits that though it was horrible they failed to provide services that many Irish and Spanish women were in desperate need of, the media attention they received put WOW on the map, letting women everywhere know they were not alone in the want to receive legal abortion services.



That is the beauty of WOW; their quest to always move toward social change. Moments where many may have given up or retaliated, Gomperts and her team overcame them with grace and understanding. The proceeding voyages they embark on lead to much scrutiny and harassment, but even when WOW members were drenched in eggs from protestors, or accused of being “Nazis” or “Baby Murderers,” the team continued their mission silently and with good humor. There is a scene where government officials look through the boat, counting every abortion pill on board, and restricting them from having condoms on the boat, which Gomperts sweetly follows with, “We need condoms; we don’t want to get pregnant also.” The look on the official’s face when she says this is priceless, because Gomperts isn’t saying to be condescending; she’s saying this relieve the tension.

And the tension definitely needs to be relieved as their mission becomes increasingly harder to carry out through a pile of legal restrictions made by countries who will stop at nothing to prevent expecting women to go onboard the boat. Gomperts and her team take note of this, and though desperate to carry out the original plan of a mobile abortion clinic, they decide to change their approach by also providing hotlines for women.

They discover one of the two abortion pills they provide can be found at clinics almost anywhere in the world, but women don’t know about this yet. WOW decides that if they themselves can not provide these abortions, they can at least inform women on how to attain this pill and carry out a safe abortion at home.

To combat this, they create the organization Women on Web, an international hotline providing information for women detailing how they can attain this abortion pill and how to take it. The hotlines are also there to support women as they go through the abortion, which could lead up to 15 hours of waiting, bleeding and cramping. It is a long and lonely wait for these women who are secretly aborting in their homes, but Women on Web are there to accompany them, following up with their process and assuring them they are strong and they should not feel guilt for making a decision about their own bodies.

Vessel is an inspiring story that could’ve ended when legal complications first emerged during the first couple voyages, but instead prospered due to Women on Waves’ commitment to women and their health. There is no doubt you will be inspired from watching Vessel, but will also come out feeling less alone. Whether you yourself are going through something as similar and terrifying as these women calling the hotlines, it is always reassuring to know there are women out there that do not want you to feel alone. Whether they are oceans away, you will always have a friend with Woman on Waves and Women on Web, and a service that will do their best not to fail you.

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Images via Vessel Film.