Student Snapshot: Raising awareness through activism and movie nights

09 October 2023

Student Snapshot

German students Isabell von Waitz and Hanna Kristina Kreuzer are both medical students pursuing their studies at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU). They connected over a shared passion for women's health and women's rights advocacy and are active members of the student association Feminists in Riga (FiR) - Hanna has been a board member for the past few years, whereas Isabell has focused on starting the Riga chapter of Medical Students for Choice, an international organisation for any medical student or physician in training seeking abortion and family planning education. FiR has about 10 active members, and their activities span movie nights, demonstrations, and guest lectures.

fir board

FiR board. Isabell (third from the left) and Hanna (far right)

Presently, Isabell’s academic focus is on gynaecology. She likes that it is such a broad field that encompasses areas such as oncology, childbirth, abortion, and breast health. The multidisciplinary nature of the field captivates her, bolstered by the field's potential for driving positive change in women's healthcare. Hanna's medical trajectory is marked by her broad interests, which include, but are not limited to, women's health and gender medicine. While she hasn't yet committed to a particular specialisation, she recognises the pivotal role of gynaecology within various medical disciplines, stressing the importance of its integration into holistic patient care.

Hanna got involved with the feminist student association because she saw a picture online from an International Women’s Day event a few years ago. ‘I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of people in Riga participated even though it took place online,’ she remembers. Isabell, on the other hand, reached out to FiR after the pandemic after realising that the international organisation Medical Students for Choice didn't have a Latvian chapter. 'I got in touch with Feminists in Riga and said that I wanted to start a local chapter of Medical Students for Choice, so together with Hanna we did. Although it is not yet a recognised association affiliated with RSU, this is something we are working on,’ Isabell explains.

fir pride

Isabell’s deeper interest for the topic of abortion started while she was doing an internship in the gynaecology department of a state hospital in Germany. While there, she met a doctor who said that performing abortions was difficult for her to do, because she saw it as a moral issue. According to this doctor, not even half of the gynaecologists at this state-funded hospital would provide an abortion for moral reasons. It shocked Isabell to find out that there was a problem with abortion care in Germany. While it is legally allowed, the provision of this care is not always available. Hanna adds that this includes access to information, ‘Not all women are able to find out where and how to get an abortion.’ They both conclude that this affects women’s ability to make a fully informed decision, and then once they have made a decision, they can still have that decision questioned.

'Doctors should accept their patients’ choice, which is a topic I feel is missing from our medical studies. This is something we, as students, have to change,’ says Isabell emphasising that this question links Feminists in Riga, activism, and Medical Students for Choice.

Hanna explains that when Isabell approached her, what she was saying resonated with her because her mother is a gynaecologist. ‘I’ve been in close contact with this topic for basically my whole life. Additionally, this came on the back of the events in US in 2022 [when the US Supreme Court overturned a decision from 1973 stating that the US Constitution protects the right to abortion - Ed.], which showed us that

even if rights are safe one moment, they can be taken away the next.

Although this was a specifically American case, there are legal issues in Germany as well. It showed us clearly that you still have to fight for your rights and can't take them for granted.’

Medical Students for Choice started in the US, but there are now 220 chapters all over the world. They organise larger annual events, like the Conference on Family Planning that takes place in December.

Both women acknowledge the fact that not being from Latvia themselves, they are careful about advocating for abortion here. ‘We know the legal situation in Germany, which is surprisingly bad, but Germany has a very different history than Latvia,’ Isabell explains. ‘There is not the same religious influence in Latvia. I heard about a case from one of my tutors here, where a medical professional would refuse to provide abortion care citing her religion as reason. So this question is still relevant in Latvia too. The topic of abortion is something that touches everyone in some way and this made me more confident about advocating for the topic here.’ Hanna adds, ‘it would be great to get in touch with Latvian students interested in abortion rights. As international students, it often feels like we’re in our own bubble. We would love it if Latvian students wanted to join so we could learn more about how their thoughts, culture and background affect their opinions. This would also ensure the longevity of the chapter after we graduate.’

As for the future plans for Feminists in Riga, Hanna describes wanting to continue organising movie nights and discussions. Previous events include a screening of Abandoned (dir: Patricia Josefine Marchart, 2019) on 28 September last year, which is International Safe Abortion Day, and participation in the Women’s March in the spring, and Riga Pride in June this year. ‘There are still prejudices against feminism,’ says Hanna ‘But after talking to new students at this year’s Worldwide event, I think there were also a lot of students who were very happy to see us there, and who could see themselves with us.

fir movie evening