Two days after the ship arrived back in the Netherlands and the treatment stored again till the next campaign, the European Parliament debates the events in Portugal.
This is what Constant Brand, an associated press writer, reports

European Parliament debates abortion ship

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Parliament legislators on Thursday turned a fight over abortion rights in Portugal into an emotional and divisive debate on women's rights and the division between church and state.

The legislature's socialists and greens had asked for the debate because they want the EU head office to take legal action against Portugal for banning a boat of Dutch abortion rights activists from entering their waters. However, the question whether the Portuguese government acted within EUlaw turned into a heated discussion pitting whether abortion should be outlawed in the 25-nation bloc.
Michal Tomasz Kaminski, Polish member of the Union for the Europe of the Nation's group quoted the Bible to back his argument that "unborn children have a right to life," leading to a strong rebuke from socialists. "We feel the Portuguese government is entitled to refuse entry to a ship which would bring death," Kaminski said. "Anything you do to those weaker, you do unto me," he said, quoting from the Bible.
The ship with abortion activists has already headed back to the Netherlands.
"I find it sad that there are people in this House that want to imprison citizens and women in ignorance," said British Labour member Michael Cashman. "I see the fingers of the Vatican all over this. Women need no lectures from men in frocks telling them what they should do with their bodies. Please keep your religion out of our lives and please keep it out of politics."
Dutch green member Kathalijne Buitenweg said it was "unacceptable" that Portuguese authorities saw the ship as a "threat to public health."
Portuguese conservative Vasco Graca Moura disagreed, saying the EU had no business in a national matter. "This is a useless debate," Graca Moura said. "Termination of abortions fall under the competencies of me...

As planned the Dutch Women on Waves team flies back home. But since the ship has left, some opinion polls have been published,

Expresso reports that 64% of the Portuguese Population considered the visit of the ship positive and useful. 66% disagrees with the decision of the Portuguese minister of defence to forbid the ship’s entry into Portuguese territorial waters.

A online survey done by Publico showed that 56% of the Portuguese population wants abortion to be legalized immediately. And an additional 7% wants it to legalize after the term of this government in 2006.

Specialists, general physicians, nurses and midwives come from all over Portugal to attend the workshop for medical professionals.

At the workshop the possibilities to use the current law to create more access to safe abortions for women and the problems of second trimester abortions in the cases that is legal under the Portuguese law, are discussed.
The meeting ends with the decision to organize a conference on abortion in Portugal next year.

In the evening most volunteers go party, some already leave next day before the real goodbye party.

For the last time the Portuguese shuttle boat visits the Borndiep in international waters to brings the last supplies before the ship will sail back to the Netherlands later that afternoon. It is the last opportunity for journalists to see the ship.

At 1PM as a final attempt the Captain of the Borndiep radios Aveiro, a harbor to the north of Figueira da Foz. This is to see if the harbour master will let Borndiep into the Aveiro harbour despite the warships that trail it. Unfortunately the harbour master does not reply to the call, and Borndiep cannot enter. According to the ruling last Monday by the judge Dr Maria Helena Canelas, Women on Waves theoretically can enter a harbour if the harbour master grants permission. However, the situation with the Portuguese Ministry of Defence and the decision made by Paulo Portas, make this impossible.

Since we have been able to reach out to a lot of women by announcing and publishing the Misoprostol protocol, there is not much use for the ship in Portugal anymore.
Being out in international waters for more than two weeks and not being able to sail into Portuguese territorial waters was very disappointing for the crew but they have succeeded to reopen the discussion on legal abortion in Portugal.

After the Portuguese shuttle boat returns, there is a meeting of Portuguese social movements, women’s groups, labour unions. More than 100 people have come to Figuira da Foz from all over Portugal to show their support.

After the meeting is the opening of a project of two of Portuguese well-known painters Mario Silva and Quim Madeira; the mobile exhibition “Barco aberto�? with portraits of 300 anonymous women in a container on a truck.

The Misoprostol webpage and the medicines Cytotec and Arthrotec are shown all over the television and in the newspapers.

Some anti-abortion rights doctors claim women on waves is endangering women by publishing the protocol.
A Portuguese anti-abortion group has accused Rebecca Gomperts of breaking the Portuguese law because she explained on the Portuguese television how an abortion can be done. The Portuguese government has not given any official reaction whether it will start an investigation.
Rebecca Gomperts has not been notified officially from this accusation and she has not been interrogated.
The Dutch fundamentalist Christian party SGP stepped in to help the Portuguese anti- abortion organisation and asked the Dutch government to take away the license of Women on Waves. The Dutch state secretary of health, Ross, answered to the question of the SGP that no laws had been broken.

Since the announcement of the possibility to do an abortion with Misoprostol only, hundreds of desperate Portuguese women have contacted the hotline to request the protocol.

At a last press conference. Gunilla Kleiverda, our gynaecologists say that the Portuguese doctors who are saying that Women on waves is endangering women’s lives are hypocrites. The opposite is true, everybody knows women are experimenting a lot with Misoprostol and because these women do not know how much and how to use the Misoprostol safely, it can be dangerous.
If women try to do an abortion themselves, we think it is best to provide them with the right information so that they at least do it as safely and effective as possible.

On Tuesday morning, Rebecca Gomperts was featured on the Portuguese talkshow SIC 10 horas, in a show titled: Face to Face Abortion Boat. This Portuguese talkshow does not perhaps contain the most cutting edge reporting, but does reach thousands of Portuguese women.

On this show, which actually starts at half past ten, Rebecca Gomperts explained how one can use Cytotec, which is also known as Arthrotec, a medicine used for stomach ulcers, as a pill which will induce abortion. She also announced the publication of a written description of how to use Artotec to induce abortion, tonight on the website.

Pedro Motasoares from CDS-PP, a Portuguese Christian Right-oriented party, was also featured on the talkshow, but did his party little good while publicly stating half truths and also blatantly lying. At a certain point he even mentioned the illegal abortions that take place in the Netherlands, while in the Netherlands abortion is always legal until the fifth and a half month of pregnancy (24 weeks after the last menstruation), and is a service which is free of charge.

Explaning how to do an abortion on television

This morning Rebecca Gomperts and Ana Cristina Santos are invited to the Portuguese talkshow SIC 10 horas, in a show titled: Face to Face Abortion Boat. This Portuguese talk show reaches hundreds of thousands of Portuguese women every day.

On the show, Rebecca Gomperts explains the use of Misoprostol, also known as Cytotec or Arthrotec, a medicine used for stomach ulcers, which can also induce abortion. Women around the world have the right to information. She warns that this method can be dangerous if not done properly and with extensive information. It should not be used when safer alternatives are at hand. She also announces that Women on Waves decided to publish extensive information about this method on its website to prevent women taking recourse to unsafe abortion method. There has been a lot of scientific research about the use of Misoprostol only to induce an abortion and it has proven a safe and effective way.
She says that women wanting more information can go to the website or call the hotline.

After the show the hotline becomes a hotline again and is overwhelmed with phone calls from women who want to know how they can use misoprostol. Some women tell us that they immediately went to the pharmacy to buy the medicines after they had seen the show. The website with the protocol is our most visited webpage.

The fundamental rights to freedom of movement, information, reunion, expression and manifestation of the ship’s crew, Women on Waves and the Portuguese organisations are violated by the decision of Paulo Portas and we have asked the judge to overturn the decision and allow the ship to enter in the harbour.

At 10.00 in the morning the court hearing starts at the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Coimbra.

The government has called for anti-abortion doctors to serve as medical experts and they are questioned about medical abortions with the use of the abortion pill. However, taking the anti-abortion position of these doctors into consideration and seeing as all forms of abortion are illegal in Portugal, these doctors have little experience and knowledge on the subject. The lawyers of the government claim that the activities of Women on Waves would constitute a threat to public health and public order because the abortion care Women on Waves offers on the ship in international waters would have an effect on Portuguese territory and constitute a crime.

It is almost midnight when finally the judge Dr. Maria Helena Canelas the operating judge of the 6th of September, reads the verdict.
The judge claims that it cannot substitute the decision since the Minister of defence made a discretionary act and it lies on a judgment of opportunity that only the government can make. The judge also rules that there might indeed be a continues criminal act because the abortion services provided by Women on Waves might have a territorial implication. However to have a continues criminal act there should be a criminal act in the first place and that is not the case. Internationally there is consensus that the abortion takes place with the swallowing of the Mifepriston, which is ending the pregnancy. In 85 % of the cases the uterus will empty spontaneously some time after taking Mifepriston, since the pregnancy has stopped. The women take the Mifepriston under Dutch law in international waters, where it is allowed and not a crime. However, to increase the effectiveness of the treatment, the ...

In the morning the ship returns from Spain and again takes its drifting position outside of Figueira da Foz. The two Dutch parliamentarians visit the Borndiep. Lousewies van der Laan states to the press that she had thought that Portugal would have been able to handle a democratic debate and that she is surprised that instead the government does not the ship to enter.
K. Arib tells the press that the ships activities are legal and that it is a scandal that the Portuguese has send war ships.

In the afternoon there is an artists workshop in the harbor. There are around 50 participants. Several Portuguese writers, painters and musicians speak and perform.
The context of the problems caused by illegal abortion is much broader because the right to choose concerns the most basic human right; to be able to control our own minds and bodies and this is linked very closely with all forms of artistic expression as well. We believe that art can address and break taboos and help create social change.

The Dutch members of Parliament Lousewies van der Laan from Democrats 66 (D66) and Khadija Arib from the Labor Party (PvdA) fly to Portugal. This evening they participate in a discussion with the Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), the Left Block (BE) and the Communist Party.