Read backstory here.

Per NBC, October 11:

Morocco barred Dutch abortion rights activists Thursday from docking their campaign ship to spread awareness about safe abortion methods in a Muslim country that bans the practice….

Earlier Thursday, Marlies Schellekens, a doctor from Women on Waves, said that Smir harbour was “totally blocked by warships so no one can get in,” a day after Rabat said the activists would be barred from arriving by sea.

More from the Associated Press:

Some 200 protesters in Smir targeted the activists outside the sealed gates of the marina. The protesters, some in conservative Muslim robes and headscarves, carried pictures of bloody embryos and shouted “Terrorist!” and “Assassin!” at Gomperts.

“We are here because we cannot accept these values, the values of massacre,” said protester Abdessamad Zilali, 23. “It is not part of our tradition to kill the unborn.”

Wow, good for them.

And it turns out Women on Waves didn’t send its ship (top), it sent a yacht (bottom)…

From opednews.com, October 5:

Moroccan police Thursday escorted from its waters a small yacht carrying women’s rights activists claiming to be able to perform abortions on board, after anti-abortion protesters jeered them on land.

More from the NBC:

But Moroccan sources later said Women on Waves had actually sent only a yacht into Smir several days ago rather than their usual larger main campaign ship in the apparent expectation that Morocco would not let the group in anyway.

“The yacht has now left Smir to head back home. It was a publicity stunt,” an official source said.

“The organizers took everyone for a ride … The people (in the yacht) stayed aboard and did not complete immigration procedures that would have allowed them to enter Moroccan territory.”

Meanwhile Women on Waves personnel had already stationed themselves on the ground and had to be protected by police.

From the Associated Press:

That boat took off around the harbor, about an hour after the group’s founder approached crowds of protesters on the ground, trying to hand out fliers on abortion in Arabic and French….

Police pushed back shouting protesters who tried to get closer to Gomperts, and said she was escorted away for her own protection.

I’m certainly proud of Moroccan Muslims, both women and men, for upholding the sanctity of life. I also appreciated their use of graphic images to show the horror of abortion.

[Top and bottom photos via the Associated Press]

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...