[1] Women on Waves volunteers and personnel have been targeted by governmental authorities, religious organizations, and local groups who are opposed to abortion and/or contraception.

[7] In the Netherlands, abortion is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy and covered by the Exceptional Medical Expenses Act or health insurers.

The ship has been used to test and challenge the limited reproductive rights in countries like Ireland and attempt to create more access to abortion.

While visiting Latin America on board the Rainbow Warrior II, the organization was inspired by a desire to further facilitate social change and women's health.

In collaboration with Atelier van Lieshout, she designed a portable gynaecology unit called "A-portable" that can be installed on chartered ships.

Lambert-Beatty describes the logo, which was designed by Kees Ryter in 2001: [the clinic's] "side is emblazoned with a purple spot on which, in turn, floats an orange shape outlined in pink: a squared cross, one quickly realizes, of the kind that symbolizes humanitarian and medical aid.

[1] During visits to countries with restrictive laws, the ship travels into international waters, usually about 12 miles from land, in order to provide services.

"[13] It appeared in Portugal at the Ute Meta Bauer's Women Building Exhibition; in Amsterdam at the Mediamatic art space;[14] and in Artforum.

[2] The ship had been invited by Irish abortion rights organizations which coordinated a publicity campaign in advance of the Aurora's arrival.

The ship anchored at Dublin Port, and traveled into international waters to provide educational services as Ireland's law prohibited discussion about abortion and contraceptives.

[23] In 2015, WoW flew a drone carrying abortion pills from Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany across the border to Slubice, Poland.

According to Catholic News Agency,"On 18 October a group of 40 feminists gathered to counter the pro-life protests, which brought out four times as many people.

On 19 October the feminists met again to distribute matches but decided to disband after they were overwhelmed by the large number of pro-life protesters who gathered at the port where the abortion ship was docked."

[28] Ibtissam Lachgar of MALI (Mouvement alternatif pour les libertés individuelles) invited Women on Waves to visit Morocco in 2012.

[29] On 3 October 2012, the Moroccan health ministry closed the port of Smir to prevent the entry of the Women on Waves ship Langenort.

On 23 February, a scheduled press conference was shut down shortly after it started[32] and a blockade was imposed by Army troops, preventing the activists from disembarking and visitors from boarding.

[33] Catholic and other religious leaders and politicians spoke vociferously against the ship and its mission: " 'The boat of death has arrived in Guatemala', said lawmaker Raul Romero during a Congress session earlier on Wednesday.

The argument to expel the boat was that they lied to the immigration authorities by saying that they were tourists, but in reality they are a health organization that aims to provide abortions to women.

To administer the procedures, the crew ferried the women seeking abortions from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the international waters, where Mexican criminal law was not in effect for the ship.

[41] In an academic article published in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Carrie Lambert-Beatty claims that "the vessel [is] one of the most audacious instances of feminist activism in recent memory.