gisw13_chapters

whether it is legal or not. If abortion is illegal,women will seek an abortion by illegal means.Harm reduction is grounded in realistic evidencebasedassessments and not moral imperatives.In addition to promoting the harm reduction frameworkto save the lives of thousands of women, WoWpromotes the concept of women’s agency ratherthan women’s empowerment. It assumes that thewomen it communicates with are capable of makingtheir own decisions.This approach is gender transformative. Wheregender transformative approaches typically transformgender roles and promote equitable relationshipsbetween women and men, WoW transforms the relationshipbetween women and the state.As a consequence of the activities of WoW, moreand more women who need an abortion considerit as something they themselves regulate, and notas a realm owned by the state and medical institutions.WoW allows them to bypass the patriarchalversion of morality-based legislation and act in theirown interests – as they would anyway – but now in away that does not endanger their lives.International human rights law can be said tohave evolved to the point where it now imposesobligations on governments to provide, and to refrainfrom interfering with the communication of,information that is necessary for the protection andpromotion of reproductive health and choice. 9International human rights jurisprudence is increasinglytaking abortion as a major cause of deathas its starting point. 10 In the face of known and avoidablesuffering and death in countries where there arelegal restraints on safe abortions, international humanrights jurisprudence holds that states are legallyaccountable to do more than nothing. States that omitor fail to act breach human rights law. 11 This raises thequestion of whether the Dutch state infringed its obligationto reduce the harms of unsafe abortions whenit publicly and falsely claimed that Women on Waveswas operating without a licence in Morocco.Even social media sites are baffled by WoW. Nothingin Facebook’s Community Standards states thatone may not post information on how to procure a legalabortion, yet Facebook closed the account of Dr.9 Coliver, S. (1995) The Right to Information Necessary forReproductive Health and Choice under International Law, inColiver, S. (ed.) The Right to Know: Human Rights and Access toReproductive Health Information, University of Pennsylvania Press.10 Erdman, J. N. (2011) Access to Information on Safe Abortion: AHarm Reduction and Human Rights Approach, Harvard Journal ofLaw and Gender, 34, p. 413-462, footnote 77.11 Commission on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2000) GeneralComment 14: The Right to the Highest Attainable Standards of Health,Article 12, UN Doc. HRI/GEN/Rev.9, quoted in Erdman (2011) Op. cit.Rebecca Gomperts, director of Women on Waves inthe Netherlands, for doing just this. Recently YouTubeblocked a WoW information video on the best use ofMisoprostol to induce a safe abortion. There are lawsgoverning appropriate behaviour and courts thatuphold these laws, and WoW operates within theselaws, yet social media sites are using their power tomould society into an expression of what they thinkis acceptable. The behaviour of the social media sitesexemplifies how the dominant normative order 12 isconfronted by WoW and its commitment to realisingthe human right of women to safe abortions.ConclusionsICTs have enabled Women on Waves to radically expandits ability to provide safe abortions and inform womenon how to access safe medical abortions. The organisationis committed to using innovative strategiesand links to issues of autonomy and social justice inorder to change the public discourse around abortion.Its commitment to harm reduction and human rightsis a global commitment. It operates in a patchwork ofnational conversations, working with women who livein countries that restrict the autonomy of women andcurtail their right to terminate a pregnancy.Action stepsWomen on Web and Women on Waves will lobby forsupport and recognition of the work of the smallerorganisations by the big international networksand for the creation of a good database and communicationplatform to exchange information aboutoutreach efforts.Women on Web will continue to invite women toshare their stories on the “I had an abortion” sectionof the website, 13 to remove the taboo on talkingabout abortion. It will continue to encourage peopleto donate money, to ensure that the service remainsavailable as long as it is needed. It will continue totrain local leaders to provide information on how toprocure an abortion safely, even in countries whereabortions are legally restricted.In 2014 WoW will expand its ICT offerings withgames, videos and audio abortion testimonies.There is a women’s human rights dimension tothis story, and a dimension that is relevant to anyactivist operating on the global stage. ICTs make itpossible to ignore political borders. Our only limitationis our imagination and our willingness to act. ■12 Erdman (2011) Op.cit.13 www.womenonweb.org/en/page/864/about-the-i-had-anabortion-projectand www.womenonweb.org/en/page/488/i-hadan-abortion#lang=all178 / Global Information Society Watch