Women's History Resources: Health & Reproductive Rights
This guide addresses U.S. women's history, including select books owned by the Pfau Library that you may borrow using your Coyote ID Card, links to films you can access using your Coyote credentials, and links to select websites.
Books: Health
- Women under the Knife byCall Number: RG104 .D36 1992ISBN: 9780415905541Publication Date: 1992-02-27In the nineteenth century, major developments in internal surgery were due to operations on ovaries. Women bore the brunt of surgical experimentation and also reaped its rewards. Their need was great, but so was their compliance.
Witches, Midwives, and Nurses by ISBN: 9781558616615Publication Date: 2010-07-01Witches, Midwives, and Nurses, first published by the Feminist Press in 1973, is an essential book about the corruption of the medical establishment and its historic roots in witch hunters. In this new edition, Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English have written an entirely new chapter that delves into the current fascination with and controversies about witches, exposing our fears and fantasies. As we watch another agonizing attempt to shift the future of healthcare in the United States, we are reminded of the longevity of this crisis, and how firmly entrenched we are in a system that doesn't work.
Our Bodies, Ourselves by Call Number: RA778 .N49 2011ISBN: 9781439190661Publication Date: 2011-10-04Hailed by The New York Times as a "feminist classic," and "America's bestselling book on women's health," the comprehensive guide to all aspects of women's health and sexuality, including menopause, birth control, childbirth, sexual health, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health and general well-being.- The impact of abortion on women: hearing before the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space byPublication Date: 2004Long-term physical and psychological health consequences of induced abortion: review of the evidence.
- Women and HIv byPublication Date: 2017
A Darker Ribbon by ISBN: 9780807065129Publication Date: 1999-10-25A Twentieth-Century Story of Breast Cancer, Women, and Their Doctors In the first cultural history of breast cancer, Ellen Leopold asks how sexual politics have shaped the relationship between patient and physician, and how a disease recently shrouded in secrecy has become so public.
A New Psychology of Women by Call Number: HQ1206 .L549 2017ISBN: 9781478631880Publication Date: 2016-04-01"A New Psychology of Women" examines how gender-related expectations interact with other cultural assumptions and stereotypes, and with social and economic conditions, to affect women's experiences and behavior.
Doing Harm by Call Number: RA564.85 .D88 2019ISBN: 0062470833Publication Date: 2019-03-12Maya Dusenbery brings together scientific and sociological research, interviews with doctors and researchers, and personal stories from women across the country to provide the first comprehensive, accessible look at how sexism in medicine harms women today. In Doing Harm, Dusenbery explores the deep, systemic problems that underlie women's experiences of feeling dismissed by the medical system.
History of Women in the United States by ISBN: 3110976323Publication Date: 1993Volume 11. Women's Bodies: health and childbirth in the United States, from colonial times to the 1990s.
Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired by ISBN: 9780812232370Publication Date: 1995-08-29Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired moves beyond the depiction of African Americans as mere recipients of aid or as victims of neglect and highlights the ways black health activists created public health programs and influenced public policy at every opportunity. Smith also sheds new light on the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment by situating it within the context of black public health activity, reminding us that public health work had oppressive as well as progressive consequences.
Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause by Call Number: RG186 .O97 2006ISBN: 9780743274876Publication Date: 2006-10-03Discussing menopause in the context of the rich and varied life experiences of women from diverse backgrounds, this reference emphasizes self-care and prevention strategies, such as good nutrition and exercise, as the foundation of health through the menopausal transition and beyond. With clear, accessible language and a balanced look at every issue (including hormone replacement therapy) OUR BODIES, OURSELVES: MENOPAUSE provides women with the information they need to make decisions about their bodies.
Websites
- American Cancer Society: Women's HealthLearn about many of the cancers that commonly affect women, and what you can do to help protect yourself and your loved ones.
- Breast Cancer Research FoundationThe mission of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation is to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world's most promising research.
- CDC: Reproductive HealthCDC’s Division of Reproductive Health is the focal point for issues related to reproductive health, maternal health, and infant health. For over 50 years, we have been dedicated to improving the lives of women, children, and families through research, public health monitoring, scientific assistance, and partnerships. Our activities and programs provide support to organizations, institutions, providers, and consumers across the United States and around the world.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Women's HealthCDC is the nation’s health protection agency, working 24/7 to protect America from health and safety threats, both foreign and domestic. CDC increases the health security of our nation.
- Guttmacher InsituteThe Guttmacher Institute is a leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and globally.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Women and DrugsWomen and men may face unique issues when it comes to substance use, as a result of both sex and gender. Sex differences result from biology, or being genetically female or male, while gender differences are based on culturally defined roles for men and women, as well as those who feel uncomfortable identifying with either category; such roles influence how people perceive themselves and how they interact with others. Sex and gender can also interact with each other to create even more complex differences between men and women.
- Our Bodies Ourselves: Information Inspires ActionIn 1970, a group of women in the Boston area self-published “Women and Their Bodies,” a 193-page booklet that dared to address sexuality and reproductive health, including abortion. They distributed it for 75 cents. A year later, they changed the title to “Our Bodies, Ourselves” — and changed the women’s health movement around the world. The U.S. book was updated in print through 2011 and online until 2018, while global adaptions are still in development today. We invite you to learn more about OBOS’s influence, impact, and ongoing advocacy work, and about Our Bodies Ourselves Today, a new collaboration with the Center for Health & Human Rights at Suffolk University.
- Planned ParenthoodPlanned Parenthood was founded on the revolutionary idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams — no ceilings, no limits. On campuses and online, in statehouses and courts, in community settings, and in the media, Planned Parenthood is a visible and passionate advocate for policies that enable Americans to access comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care, education, and information.
- Reproductive Justice: Sister SongRooted in the internationally-accepted human rights framework created by the United Nations, Reproductive Justice combines reproductive rights and social justice. The progenitors of RJ launched the movement by publishing a historic full-page statement with 800+ signatures in The Washington Post and Roll Call. Just three years later, in 1997, SisterSong was formed to create a national, multi-ethnic RJ movement.
- Reproductive Justice National Wome's Law CenterAll of us deserve to make our own decisions about our bodies, health, sexuality, and whether and when to have children with dignity and autonomy and to raise the family we have in a safe, healthy environment. But communities of color face a unique set of barriers—not only to abortion and birth control access but also to the ability to raise their families in safe, healthy environments.
- What is Reproductive Justice?7-min Youtube that defines reproductive justice for the college student, by Morgan Gale: "I talk about "activism" a lot, but what exactly is it? In this video, I briefly explain the RJ movement and how it strives for a broader picture of healthcare instead of solely focusing on choice."
- Office on Women's HealthOWH focuses on emerging women's health priorities to meet the needs of women and girls. Working collaboratively with federal agencies and partners, OWH supports a variety of campaigns, programs, and policies around health disparities, violence against women, HIV and AIDS, trauma-informed care, health across the lifespan, and the provision of health care.
Books: Reproductive Rights
- Misconception: Social Class and Infertility in America byPublication Date: 2014Despite the fact that, statistically, women of low socioeconomic status (SES) experience greater difficulty conceiving children, infertility is generally understood to be a wealthy, white woman's issue. In Misconception, Ann V. Bell overturns such historically ingrained notions of infertility by examining the experiences of poor women and women of color.
- Birth expectations of U.S. women aged 15-44 byPublication Date: 2016Birth expectations have been shown to be related to sexual activity, contraceptive use, and fertility. While most U.S. women believe that having two children is ideal, this varies by sociodemographic characteristics. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), this report describes women’s birth expectations, number of children expected, and when they expected their next child to be born.
Reproductive Health and Gender Equality by ISBN: 075469139XPublication Date: 2010-12-28Reproductive Health and Gender Equality offers a much needed empirical study of women's reproductive health. The author challenges the prevailing bioscience and public health models by linking women's reproductive health to gender equality measures and development policies.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Call Number: RG661 .G376 2019ISBN: 0553381156Publication Date: 2003-03-04What you need to know to have the best birth experience for you. Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation's leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience.
Abortion in the American Imagination by ISBN: 9780813565309Publication Date: 2014-07-11The public debate on abortion stretches back much further than Roe v. Wade, to long before the terms "pro-choice" and "pro-life" were ever invented. Yet the ways Americans discussed abortion in the early decades of the twentieth century had little in common with our now-entrenched debates about personal responsibility and individual autonomy. Abortion in the American Imagination returns to the moment when American writers first dared to broach the controversial subject of abortion.
Reproductive Justice by Call Number: KF3760 .R67 2017ISBN: 9780520288188Publication Date: 2017-03-21Reproductive Justice is a first-of-its-kind primer that provides a comprehensive yet succinct description of the field. Written by two legendary scholar-activists, Reproductive Justice introduces students to an intersectional analysis of race, class, and gender politics. Loretta J. Ross and Rickie Solinger put the lives and lived experience of women of color at the center of the book and use a human rights analysis to show how the discussion around reproductive justice differs significantly from the pro-choice/anti-abortion debates that have long dominated the headlines and mainstream political conflict.
Abortion and Woman's Choice: The state, sexuality, and reproductive freedom by ISBN: 9781555530754Publication Date: 1990-05-29A holistic understanding of abortion from a feminist perspective, including the history of its practice and state policies to contain it; the social, economic, and cultural conditions under which women utilize it; and the legal, moral, and political battles that surround it.
Contemporary Maternity in an Era of Choice by ISBN: 0739138928Publication Date: 2010-06-16Women who came of age in the late twentieth century were raised in the era of choice; they grew up believing that reproductive decision-making is a political right, a responsibility of women living the successes of second wave feminism, and under their control. Contemplating Maternity in an Era of Choice: Explorations into Discourses of Reproduction explores contemporary maternity both within and in light of these late-twentieth century understandings.- Women, Work, and Fertility 1900-1987 byCall Number: HQ1410 .V36 1988ISBN: 9780814787595Publication Date: 1988-02-01Introduction -- Women in 1900 -- Women and the family: 1900-1940 -- Work at home: 1900-1940 -- The workplace: 1900-1940 -- Ambivalence, nostalgia, and transition -- The baby-boom family -- Perspectives on high fertility -- Women's work: 1940-1960 -- The changing context of fertility: 1960-1986 -- The new workplace -- Women's rush to work: Necessity or opportunity? -- Women at the end of the twentieth century.
- Abortion in the United States byCall Number: KF9315 .A927 2013ISBN: 9780837738895Publication Date: 2013-01-01This new edition gives users a quick means of accessing case law and statutes related to abortion at both the state and federal level. While focusing more on federal law (including versions of the Hyde Amendment), it still includes all state statutes related to the ability of a woman to seek an abortion. Also new to this edition is extensive indexing created for both statutes and case law. --
Abortion Politics by ISBN: 0745688829Publication Date: 2018-05-21Abortion has remained one of the most volatile and polarizing issues in the United States for over four decades. Americans are more divided today than ever over abortion, and this debate colors the political, economic, and social dynamics of the country. This book provides a balanced, clear-eyed overview of the abortion debate, including the perspectives of both the pro-life and pro-choice movements.
Films
- The Famine WithinThis searing documentary looks at the obsession of women with the size and the shape of their bodies. Under the coercive power of consumerism and the mass media, women have come to view their bodies as marketable objects and to judge them according to unrealistic standards.
- Handmaids' Protest NationwideDrawing on imagery from Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the Handmaid Coalition organized demonstrations across the country to call attention to female reproductive rights.
- Life Matters: The Story of an Illegal AbortionistIn an era when women could not get legal abortions there were only a handful of courageous doctors who risked imprisonment, loss of license, and their future in order to provide safe abortions to women.
- Memphis Midwives Work to Address Racial Disparities in CareMore women in America die from pregnancy-related complications than in any other developed country in the world, and black women are most affected.
- More Than Baby BluesThis video shows the signs of postpartum depression (PPD), what family members and friends can do, and what to do if PPD strikes. It removes the mystery of making it difficult to identify and therefore, difficult to treat.
- Period: The End of Menstruation?Seasonale. Depo-Provera. Lybrel. As pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs that allow women to stop their periods for months and years at a time, Period: The End of Menstruation? investigates the social, cultural and medical implications of this increasingly popular new trend.
- The Politics of Women's HealthcareExplores the impact of the increasing role of male physicians on women's healthcare, political issues (such as legislation and abortion) related to women's healthcare, sex and sexuality education, and whether or not sterilization is being forced deliberately on Third World women.
- Sex, Lies, and Secrecy: Dissecting HysterectomyToday, three quarters of a million hysterectomies are performed annually in North America. Yet a huge majority are unnecessary. Sex. Lies and Secrecy: Dissecting Hysterectomy is the shocking and untold story of this devastating, needless surgery on women's reproductive organs, often with life-long physical, emotional and sexual consequences.
- Voices of ChoiceA 25-minute film created by Physicians for Reproductive Health in 2003, Voices of Choice documents the experiences of physicians involved in abortion care and reform prior to the landmark Supreme Court Roe decision in 1973.
- Women, HIV and AIDSThis hard-hitting, up-to-date documentary grapples with the special problems of women in the AIDS epidemic. It will encourage frank discussion on of subjects such as safe sex for both straight and lesbian women, health care for HIV positive women, and advocacy efforts.