Dr. Rebecca Gomperts to Give Gruber Lecture Feb. 6

Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, founder of Women on Waves and Women on Web, will deliver the Gruber Distinguished Lecture in Global Justice on Monday, February 6, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 127 at Yale Law School. Gomperts’ conversation with Emily Bazelon is on “Putting Abortion Pills in Woman’s Hands: Ships, Apps, Drones, and the Web” and will discuss what strategies could be effective in preserving abortion rights in the U.S. and abroad.

A related discussion on the topic, “Accessing Abortion in a Hostile Climate,” will be held with Gomperts on Tuesday, February 7, at 12:15 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge. The participants will also include Prof. Joanna Erdman (Schulich Law/Dalhousie), Violeta Canaves (Yale Law), Cherisse Scott (Sisterreach), and Farah Diaz-Tello (UC Berkeley Law, SIA).

Dr. Gomperts studied medicine and visual arts in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After graduating, she sailed with the Greenpeace ship, Rainbow Warrior, as its doctor and as an environmental activist. Her work with Greenpeace inspired her to found two organizations—Women on Waves and its successor organization Women on Web. These organizations provide women with sexual health information and services, including early medical abortions (abortion with pills), in an effort to prevent unintended pregnancies and avoid unsafe and/or illegal abortions. Using international maritime law, Internet technology, and drones, Gomperts and her team have sought to work around the state boundaries that hinder access to sexual and reproductive health services—or make it criminal.

The Gruber Distinguished Lecture in Global Justice and the Gruber Distinguished Lecture in Women’s Rights feature speakers whose exceptional achievements have served the causes of global justice and women's rights.