The Feminist Club organised a benefit night for Women on Waves. We are happy to announce that we have made a donation of €185 to Women on Waves. We want to support their ceaseless effort in preventing unsafe abortions and empowering pregnant people in their mental autonomy.
In January of this year the world was shaken by the outbreak of the Zika virus in Middle- and South-America. This virus is transmitted through mosquito bites and sexual intercourse. When a pregnant person catches the virus, this can very dangerous for the health of the unborn baby. People around the world were warned to not travel to areas where the Zika virus is active. There is no cure for the virus.
In all these countries, the demands for abortion surged, but abortion is not accessible or legal to many pregnant people in need. In many countries in the afflicted region, abortion is only allowed in special cases, in some countries abortion is illegal altogether. Contraceptives are also hard to come by, Amnesty International estimates that 50% percent of pregnancies in this region are unplanned. (Read more about Zika)
There are organisations that try to make abortion accessible for everyone. One of these organisations is Women on Waves. Women on Waves aims to prevent unsafe abortions and strives for people to exercise their human rights. One way in which they do this, is by providing abortion pills by mail to pregnant people in regions where safe and legal abortions are not easily accessible.
We at the feminist club find the human right to have agency over one’s own body extremely important. Reproductive rights are a classic feminist issue. Therefore we organized a benefit night for Women on Waves a few months ago. At this benefit, we served a vegan dinner at Miltvuur Keuken Zuid and screened the film Vessel. This documentary shows how Women on Waves was founded in 1999 and what they have done since to improve reproductive rights of women. At this benefit night, we collected €185 for Women on Waves, which we have donated to the organisation this week.
In the last few weeks, abortion was again hot topic when the conservative party PiS in Poland wanted to legislate a total ban on abortion. In Poland enormous protests ensued. In other countries, people joined to protest as well; dome of our members joined in at protests at the Polish Embassy and at the Polish Library. For now, the plans are rejected.
We will keep on discussing abortion and reproductive rights. At the 9th of November, we will be having a Discussion Night on this very theme. Feel free to join us!