Women's Health expert Lorraine Greaves details the innovative, courageous, and creative activism of the “second wave” women’s health movement in Canada between 1960 and 2010. This activism (re)claimed women’s bodies, created women-centered spaces and services, and challenged the medical model. Feminists challenged diagnoses, treatments, laws, policies and research, as well as the care women were offered and the way they saw their bodies and themselves. Legions of women, and a few men, made changes ranging from abortion rights to preserving women’s hospitals, to the legalization of midwifery to requiring gendered health research—changes that resonate today. Greave’s intimate experience with, and in-depth understanding of, the political and institutional forces that faced Canada’s activists over the last half-century shines through in this collection. The fearless, persistent, and creative actions of the feminist leaders who contributed to this book, had a profound influence on the women’s movement and changed Canada’s entire health system. These women challenged established norms and demanded unprecedented approaches and inventive alternatives that altered the values, policies, and practices that shape the health of women and girls to this day.
— Marilyn Emery, President and Chief Executive Officer, Women’s College Hospital, September 2018 This is a very compelling and pan-Canadian gathering of stories and analyses about the past 50 years of the women’s health movement. It chronicles the determination, courage, and creativity of many different groups of women trying to make the world safer and more responsive to their varied needs. It is also an excellent lens through which to remember how far we have come and to understand how much farther there is to go.
— Chaviva Hosek, O.C. Ph.D. L.L.D., September 2018 A must-read for all women, especially those working for change in the arena of women's health in Canada. It is a stark reminder of how much work, dedication, commitment, and plain old slugging it has taken to keep Canadian women's bodies free of unwanted interference. It is still far from clear sailing, and we are seeing south of the border just how easily the clock can be turned back. A big cheer for the courageous women and men who have fought so hard to protect our right to health on our own terms.
— Penny Ballem, M.D. FRCP FCAHS Lorraine Greaves is a feminist activist, researcher and author or editor of 11 books on gender, research, women, and health. She was the founding director of the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health in British Columbia and the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children in Ontario. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa for her contributions to changing the landscape of women’s health in Canada. She lives in Vancouver, BC and Elora, ON. |
