Notes

The film Vessel is about a group of women who fight for the abortion rights of various different communities. The main person leading the group is Dr. Rebecca Grompert. She is a woman who is heavily passionate about women’s reproductive rights, and does everything she can to make abortions available. She believes that all women have the right to choose what is done in their bodies, and that there should be no government force controlling those actions. I believe Grampert sees herself as an activist mainly because of the lengths she goes to make a difference. When “Women on Waves” first arrived in Poland for example, they were met by a crowd of protestors. During the protest, Grompert clearly let everyone know that women in Poland needed abortions and they were there to supply them. Their group endured harsh criticism and egging, but still televised their involvement in the nation. Grompert was always ready to speak in favor of women’s rights and be the mouthpiece for all women there.
The way that she went about helping these women was radical. During her mission in Ecuador for example, she climbed to the top of the “Virgen de El Panecillo” statue to post an abortion hotline. She clearly knew that she was breaking the law, yet worked around the police officers and other obstacles in her way. I see Grompert’s tactics as potentially dangerous to her own safety, but effective in supplying other people’s needs. Her biggest move however, was her sharing the fact that misoprostol could cause miscarriages. By sharing this risky information on live television, women were instantly given the tool they needed to have abortions on their own.
During the same talk show, Grompert talked with a man about the abortion issue. Within the discussion, the man gave his input and talked down on the whole abortion operation. Grompert responded telling the man that he had no say in the abortion matter because he was not a woman. I agree with this statement because a man has no idea what it is like for a women to even consider having an abortion. Society has made it so new mothers have a harder time making money and pursuing their dreams. The role of mother brings so much more sacrifice on the woman’s side, and should be an intentional decision. Men will literally never experience pregnancy first hand, so they should passively support any decision their partner chooses to make.
In every country where abortion is illegal, all of them contain women desperately seeking help. Due to harsh and sometimes deadly reprocussions, women are unable to find a healthy way to recieve abortions. This global issue that women have, reveals that money is a large factor that determines opportunities. As spoken in the article on Poland’s reproductive rights, “ Wealthy women can afford an underground abortion or go abroad, but 60 per cent of Polish women cannot as they live around the threshold of poverty” (Heinen & Portet 1013). Women apart from the upper class, are globally handicapped to perform the one action that only affects them. I don’t believe that men would have as much pushback if they needed or desired something similar to abortion. Society is just naturally against women being in power. People and governments will go to extreme lengths to stop women from having control, even if it's over their own bodies. It is denying women of a right that needn’t be bargained for.