WUNRN
WOMEN ON WAVES BOAT FOR ABORTIONS
MAKES FIRST TRIP TO A MUSLIM COUNTRY - MOROCCO
3 October 2012, by siawi3
Morocco - A
Dutch “abortion boat” has set sail for Morocco, its first trip to a Muslim
country, to provide abortions to women who are exposed to grave health risks if
treated domestically, its organiser said on Monday.
“The ship is
on its way. We can’t yet disclose the place and time of arrival... We expect it
to stay for up to a week.” Rebecca Gomperts, the founder of the Dutch
non-profit organisation Women on Waves, told AFP by phone.
The group
says that, according to figures published by the Moroccan government, between
600 and 800 abortions take place every day in the north African kingdom, where
the procedure is illegal and taboo.
“The problem
is that only about 200 cases are done properly, by women who have money,” the
Dutch abortion doctor said, with the rest resorting to dangerous methods
because they are unable to afford the expensive treatment.
This leads
to the deaths of 78 Moroccan women each year on average, Gomperts claimed,
citing statistics provided by the World Health Organisation.
The Dutch
organisation says it was “invited” to Morocco by local youth group the
Alternative Movement for Individual Liberties (MALI), to raise support for the
legalisation of abortion in the country.
The
authorities’ response to the initiative remains unknown, with local daily
Al-Tajdid, the mouthpiece of Morocco’s ruling Islamist party, questioning on
Monday whether the government would allow the ship to enter Moroccan waters.
Gomperts
admitted that Rabat’s reaction was “hard to predict,” but she argued that any
attempt to block the visit would be an “illegal” intervention in the freedom of
travel and the freedom of expression.
She denied
it was an inappropriate time for the visit, despite religious sensitivities
running high in Muslim countries after violent protests last month against a
US-made anti-Islam film and the publication of blasphemous cartoons in France.
“I
understand that (the visit) is seen as a provocation by some religious groups.
But this is about women’s health. It has nothing to do with religion.”
Over the
past 11 years, a Women on Waves ship has visited Ireland, Poland, Portugal and
Spain, sparking protests in each country from pro-life groups. - AFP