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Feminists Around the World: Dr. Rebecca Gomperts · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Never told your prediction of iHeartRadio. And it is officially
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: a Women's History month, So I guess happy Women's History Month, Annie. Yeah, yes, well, well,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: but you know this is something that we do well.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: I say, I think we do it well because this
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: is what we do. This is our job essentially, so
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  Speaker 1: celebrating the feminist activists around the world is a part
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: of that which we do every week, whether it's fictional
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: or non fiction. Yeah, how we like to do it. Um,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: And so we're just gonna jomp right in. Are you ready? Annie?
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: I am so ready? All right, Jess. I guess I
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: haven't been doing trigger warnings for these most of the times.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Unless it's like pretty obviously severe, I will put I
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: guess a content warning because it just maybe something that
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: we have been drug through the mud repeatedly with policies
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: and anti abortion access rhetoric, and sometimes it's hard to hear.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: I will say this is good news, kind of like
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  Speaker 1: our rebels that we need to know about. But if
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: there's something like you need to take a pause on,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: I will tell you pause and then come back. But
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  Speaker 1: this is something cheerful ish for a bad situation. It's
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  Speaker 1: a good way to put it. Yeah, I like it. So, yes,
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  Speaker 1: And like we said, things feel kind of bleak here
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  Speaker 1: at times. The news is getting more and more scary
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  Speaker 1: as laws and policies continue to restrict more rights for
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  Speaker 1: the marginalized community here in the US. So when we
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  Speaker 1: see those who'd loudly and proudly advocate to protect those rights,
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  Speaker 1: you know we have to talk about them. And today
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  Speaker 1: we were talking about doctor Rebecca Gomperts, and I really
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  Speaker 1: hope I'm saying that right. That's how the interview went
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: that I heard. So if I did it wrong, I'm
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: sure some amazingly like no, it's just gone Parts and
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: stop it. This is a moment anyway. So, doctor Rebecca
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  Speaker 1: Gumparts has been a part of the reproductive rights movement
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  Speaker 1: for a long time. In nineteen ninety gm Parts and
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  Speaker 1: her twenties traveled around the world on a boat to
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  Speaker 1: aid women in need. Studying medicine in Netherlands, she soon
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  Speaker 1: started to travel and while shadowing a French doctor in Guinea,
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  Speaker 1: she discovered the dire situation in which women were not
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: able to access safe abortions and often treated the women
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  Speaker 1: who suffered from botched procedures and those experiences would grow
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  Speaker 1: to a movement. Yeah. So, doctor gone Parts had originally
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: wanted to be an artist, a writer, a creator. She
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: thought of using MRIs as part of her work and
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  Speaker 1: worked in medical settings to get more inspiration and to
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: find more community in the field. Soon she saw a
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  Speaker 1: notice for doctors needed in clinics and abortion access at
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  Speaker 1: the hospital, and that would lead her down the waters
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  Speaker 1: to her discovery and these horrors that she discovered of
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: this need for access around the world. While traveling with
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  Speaker 1: Greenpeace on a boat called the Rainbow Warrior two around
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  Speaker 1: the world, she was able to see the many who
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: were being denied access and care, which often resulted and
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: grewsome death or health crises. After graduating with her medical degree,
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  Speaker 1: she traveled all around the world to help provide the
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  Speaker 1: safe care that women desperately needed. But knowing that a
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  Speaker 1: huge deterrent in many of these countries that our need
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  Speaker 1: is the restrictive laws placed by the governments there. So
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  Speaker 1: doctor Gompertz used her creativity to come up with a
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  Speaker 1: way to provide the care needed using a boat. So
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  Speaker 1: she knew that in the international waters twelve miles outside
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  Speaker 1: of the coast, the local laws don't apply, but the
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  Speaker 1: laws of the country the boat is displaying do and
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  Speaker 1: since she was from the Netherlands, where abortion access was legal,
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  Speaker 1: she found her loophole. And it was this idea that
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  Speaker 1: brought about the beginning of Women on Waves in nineteen
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  Speaker 1: ninety nine, and with the legalization of the abortion pills
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  Speaker 1: in two thousand and five, she was able to provide
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  Speaker 1: safe abortions all across the world with easier access right
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  Speaker 1: and when she first started her journey on Women on Waves,
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  Speaker 1: she had other physicians join her on the voyage and
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  Speaker 1: they definitely hit many challenges through their course. They encountered lawsuits,
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  Speaker 1: including one from the US FDA, and challenges all around
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  Speaker 1: the world, including Ireland, and like I said, the US,
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  Speaker 1: they were chased off by warships and blocked by different
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  Speaker 1: governments when they were arrived at specific countries, but that
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  Speaker 1: didn't stop them. When she was sued, she would countersue.
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  Speaker 1: When she was stopped, she would find another route, and
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  Speaker 1: throughout the process they made sure to let people know
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  Speaker 1: they existed and were there to help pregnant people all
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  Speaker 1: over the world. So one are the things that she
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  Speaker 1: did and has continued to do, is bring a light
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  Speaker 1: on what access looks like, why is needed, and then
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  Speaker 1: also reframing the term of pregnant people as well as
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  Speaker 1: abortion and all of that which we see is off
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: times weaponized against this movement. So she's doing a lot
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  Speaker 1: in a large part of her work included, like I said,
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  Speaker 1: advocacy in supporting local organizations. She would not come to
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  Speaker 1: a country without the request of a local group, and
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  Speaker 1: not only would they provide the physical help, but what
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  Speaker 1: would provide help by teaching how to get access and
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  Speaker 1: how to safely use the abortion pills. They also work
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  Speaker 1: to help provide assistance to anyone who needed support emotionally
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  Speaker 1: or mentally during the process. They set up hotlines and
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  Speaker 1: websites to assist in their work, which soon led to
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  Speaker 1: her launching Women on Web. Women on Web was created
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  Speaker 1: as a quote online help desk to help women connect
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  Speaker 1: with doctors and medical professionals who can help deliver abortion
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  Speaker 1: pills and ship them at a reasonable cost and making
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  Speaker 1: sure that getting this type of care is accessible. They
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  Speaker 1: make sure cost does not affect a woman from getting
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  Speaker 1: that medicine they need, so they will work with people
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  Speaker 1: and get it to them. For free. She also talked
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  Speaker 1: about how some of the things that she would hear
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  Speaker 1: from people trying to get these pills were literal like
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  Speaker 1: sob stories in hopes they would get access. She felt
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  Speaker 1: so heartbroken that they even have to do all of
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: that to get what they need. And so one of
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  Speaker 1: the things that you wanted to do is to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that pregnant people felt safe enough to just ask.
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  Speaker 1: And in twenty eighteen, Going Parts unveiled aid Access, a
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  Speaker 1: telemedicine service to serve those in the US, and with
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  Speaker 1: that they also have the Safe Abortion app, which provides
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  Speaker 1: important information in regards to gestational time, how to use
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  Speaker 1: approved abortion drugs as needed. And for those who need
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  Speaker 1: or want human connections, there are heartlines with people available
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  Speaker 1: on the other line to assist anyone yeah wants it
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: or needs it. And in all of these projects and organizations,
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  Speaker 1: doctor Going Parts has been a fierce advocate in the
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  Speaker 1: need to allow those who can be pregnant to do
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  Speaker 1: what they feel is best and that it's simply understanding
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  Speaker 1: that they are the ones who can make the decision
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  Speaker 1: for themselves. She told The Guardian. One of the things
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  Speaker 1: that we try to do actually by providing the services
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  Speaker 1: is to strengthen their dignity and empowerment. It shows them
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  Speaker 1: that we trust them. And yes, it's about respecting those
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  Speaker 1: who make these decisions, in giving back the power of
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: their autonomy. And in another interview with political she expands
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: on the depth of trust for those who have or
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  Speaker 1: want abortions. She says abortion is a very good way
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  Speaker 1: to take control over your life. There's nothing wrong with
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: having one abortion, or two abortions or three abortions. A
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: lot of the abortion rights people sometimes feel uncomfortable about this.
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  Speaker 1: If you really, sincerely believe that we have to trust
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: women to make a decision about their own lives, then
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  Speaker 1: that is the consequence. If you believe that we live
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  Speaker 1: in a democratic society where people have the freedom to
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: make decisions about their lives, then that is the consequence.
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  Speaker 1: Because the status of a fetus doesn't change whether the
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  Speaker 1: reason is rape, or it is the first abortion or
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  Speaker 1: an abortion or whatever. The fetus is the same. And
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  Speaker 1: so once you believe that people are entitled to make
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  Speaker 1: a decision about this for themselves, that it doesn't matter
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  Speaker 1: whether it's more or less, or how or when. And
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  Speaker 1: she's only shown more determination as countries around the world
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  Speaker 1: continue to oppress the rights of people with uteruses. She's
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  Speaker 1: vowed to help and assist and no matter the consequences,
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  Speaker 1: and to go to where she is needed. And after
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  Speaker 1: thirty years of advocacy, we've seen her do exactly that.
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  Speaker 1: She was named as one of the Glamor Women of
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  Speaker 1: the Year in twenty twenty two, and during her interview
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  Speaker 1: for the award, she remained hopeful and she said, I
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  Speaker 1: have a great trust in the resilience of women, and
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  Speaker 1: that gives me hope. At some point we all have
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  Speaker 1: to decide, you know what, We'll do it regardless. We
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  Speaker 1: don't care you want to control us. We are not controllable.
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  Speaker 1: And with that title from Glamor, Doctor groom Parts was
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  Speaker 1: also named BBC's one hundred in twenty thirteen and twenty
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  Speaker 1: fourteen and Times one hundred Most Influential People in twenty twenty.
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  Speaker 1: The MS Women of the Year two thousand and one award,
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  Speaker 1: the Women Making History Award by I Planned Parenthood of
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  Speaker 1: New York City in two thousand and two, the Margaret
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  Speaker 1: Sanger a Woman of Valor Award in two thousand and four.
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  Speaker 1: In the Global Women's Rights Award, Feminist Majority Foundation in
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  Speaker 1: two thousand and seven. So yeah, she's doing a lot
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  Speaker 1: and she continues to do a lot. She's gotten quite
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  Speaker 1: a reputation as the abortion doctor of the world essentially internationally,
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  Speaker 1: and it's amazing to see women who continue to fight
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  Speaker 1: in these times that seems so dark. Yeah, well, as
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: she said, cheerfulness is CHEERFULI in a dark situation. Now
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  Speaker 1: it is. It's it's it's inspiring to see the people
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  Speaker 1: who are fighting and continue to fight have been doing it.
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  Speaker 1: We love it. So as always, if you have any
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: suggestions about people we should feature on the segments, you
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: can let us know. You can email us at stephaniea
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: Mom step at iHeartMedia dot com. You can find us
• 9:56
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• 9:59
  Speaker 1: tickto talk at Stuff I've Ever Told You. Also YouTube
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: if that's your thing where you'd rather listen, that's totally cool.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: Thanks as always to our super producer Christina, Thank you
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening Stuff I Never Told You.
• 10:12
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