The high seas are a lawless frontier where crimes such as murder, slavery and environmental destruction are often met with impunity and overlooked by the media. But the ocean is also a place of discovery and reinvention, offering freedom from the constraints of society.

A new 10-part short film series produced by The Outlaw Ocean Project stems from over a decade of reporting by our columnist Ian Urbina exploring crime on the high seas. The series chronicles a gritty cast of characters including traffickers and smugglers, pirates and mercenaries, shackled slaves and vigilante conservationists.

Over the next few weeks, we will exclusively share all episodes of ‘Dispatches from the Outlaw Ocean’ as they come out.

Episode 8, ‘The loophole artist’, came out out on Monday, 5th June. In this episode, Ian Urbina joins Dr Rebecca Gomperts from Women on Waves aboard the Adelaide to witness how she uses the outlaw ocean to change lives.

A woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy is determined by which side of a state or country’s border she stands on. For over 20 years, one woman has taken advantage of the legal loophole provided by the legal murkiness of international waters to administer an abortion to women otherwise left without options. .

Watch Episode 8 here or on The Outlaw Ocean’s website: