Calling
DZIENNIK BALTYCKI: "There will be no pregnant women coming even as close as 10 km to the port of Wladyslawowo" according to local gynaecologists. "Abortion can be done here in town; anonymously, quickly, for money. Special addresses are passed on to friends and colleagues of locations where a woman can obtain an abortion. One can also check the legal ads in the papers.? Yesterday we called such a number. Within a couple of minutes of questioning we were offered the option of receiving a pill delivery (RU 486) to our home, or having the abortion performed in the clinic?
Some hotline messages:
- 20 year old. Woman, just tested for pregnancy the day before, test is positive, she writes that she is in shock, considers having an abortion and we are her only hope. She says that finding a good doctor in Poland (to have an illegal abortion) is difficult, she asks for an immediate answer and she leaves us her phone number.
- A student, contacts us through her girlfriend, 14 days after her expected menstruation, pregnancy test positive, she has no money for private illegal medical intervention, and asks how she can get to the ship without being recognised. She is afraid of problems and wants to make an appointment for tomorrow evening. She leaves her phone number.
- An email from a 20-year-old woman: She is completely distressed, her period is 3 days late. She says she is a virgin and was only having 'petting' with her boyfriend, She writes us in vivid detail what exactly she did with him and thinks that she got pregnant by getting sperm on her hands or on her boyfriend's hands. She is distraught and has had several sleepless nights. She is afraid to tell her parents and has thought of suicide as an answer to her predicament. She will do a pregnancy test, Her boyfriend is still unaware of her pregnancy.
- Another young girl writes: "these are the last days that you can help me. I couldn't know that people in my country would make so many problems about your action 'Women on Waves'. You are my last chance to live as I've planned...I?m still counting on you, Help me please, I'm desperate."
June 21, 2003, afternoon
After the press conference we open up the hotline. Within minutes we start receiving calls from desperate women waiting for the ship's arrival. Polish anti-abortion law forbids us from discussing the details of any treatment we can offer in international waters. We are allowed, however, to announce the scheduled workshops on sexual education and reproductive health with "volunteers and participants" who accompany us on our trips to international waters. Women calling the hotline seek information about contraceptives and sex-education and they want to meet with doctors on the ship for further discussions in international waters. The ship is still on anchor in Gdynia harbour waiting for the weather to improve.
Press team, Sladjana: "After a very successful press conference, the police advise us to take the backdoor exit from the City Hall - we follow their advice. The police start running towards their vans and so do we. We literally jump into one of their vans. They drop us at a nearby a market but as soon as we get out of the van, the skinheads appear, waiting for us. They follow but we finally manage to lose them by entering a pizza restaurant. I am not used to this kind of action and therefore it frightens me quite a bit. The skinheads don't do much except throw eggs and paint at us, but I can't help wondering what they will do when the boat arrives!
Artists or abortion doctors?
Women on Waves are invited to participate in an art event at Modelarnia, a…
Kremlin, Acropolis, Eiffel Tower, Langenort!
The Langenort does not sail out again due to weather conditions, and instead…
To international waters
The Langenort can finally sail to international waters to provide Polish women…
Teaching those who want to learn
The ship moved to a publicly more accessible space so that press and visitors…
A letter of support, a drop of truth.
On the fourth day of the campaign, it almost seemed like this hectic isolated…
Arriving in Władysławowo
After 48 hours of negotiation with the harbor officials, the wind lifts up and…
Press, police, politicians. and phones.
In the morning of the 21st of June, a press conference is held in the…
Bright Lights, Wrong City
When the Langenort finally arrives in Poland on the 20th of June, it finds no…
Keep the closet closed
On the 16th of June, the Langenort finally sails out, after first having the…
Clogged toilets and lawyers who never stop talking.
Meanwhile, the Langenort is having some difficulties. The Langenort's engine…
Fame! Glory! Compulsory EU leader tours!
In June 2003, Women on Waves got a spot in the first Biennial of Thessalonica…
Leaking like a sieve.
Women on Waves is careful not to announce their trip to Poland, as not to allow…
Power to the... Church?
In January 2003 the Polish Government announces that a referendum will be held…
License to question authority
Even though Women on Waves' application for a license as a first trimester…