RESOURCES
In this section we briefly list some of the papers which were given to us during the conference, or which have been sent to us since and which we think readers and participants would like to know about Photocopies are available from ISIS for a small fee, or available direct from the group, where addresses are listed.
Self-Help for Latin_american Feminists :
A Reformist or a Revolutionary Alternative ?
Grupo Mujeres en la Lucha, Colombia.
A 22-page manuscript giving a glimpse of what Latin America is, which elements compose health policies, and the significance of self-help programs within Latin American historical conditions and present context. The authors acknowledge this improvement in women's health through self-help, but point out how in the Third World fundamental health strategies based in a self-help philosophy are in practice a means for the governmental Administrations to discharge their responsibilities towards broad segments of the population while at the same time establishing new forms of control on popular demands.
Women and Health in Brazil : a feminist perspective
Carmen Barosso, Brazil.
This is a 3-page description of the situation of women's health in Brazil, how the women's movement there has started to act, and specifically the activities of a group of women researchers at the Chagas Foundation.
Menstruation
Rani Bang, India.
A 6-page manuscript on the taboos and beliefs about menstruation commonly held in India. Also gives medical arguments against these practices.
Menopause
Rani Bang, India.
A 13-page manuscript giving considerable medical detail on physiological and psychological changes which can take place, and a long section on "the management of menopause and climacteric" where the dangers of estrogen therapy are explained, and a note given on the different attitudes of Indian women to menopause from that of western women.
Accion
ALIMUPER Apartado 2211
Lima 100, Peru.
Quarterly newspaper of ALIMUPER (see descriptions of groups) which frequently deals with women's health issues. No. 7 (Jan-April 1981) is dedicated to "Our sexuality". Good source of information on Latin American women.
Women and Medical Practice :
about how women are abused by the medical and psychiatric professions
c/o William's Place
48 William IV Street
London WC1, England.
A collection of papers and presentations prepared for a conference on women and medical practice which took place in April this year. The papers frequently consist of personal testimonies about abuses of the medical system, but also include a long expose of the drug industry and its effects on women, and some documentation on depo-provera (injectable contraceptive). See below for further details on the organizing group.
Health for the Millions
Voluntary Health Association of India
C-14 Community Centre,
Safdarjung Development Area,
New Dehli-110016
India.
A bi-monthly publication, this magazine carries articles and news on health care in India, but from a critical perspective : "We talk about the usefulness of indigenous systems of medicines, of herbs and leaves; and the comparative failure of drugs and pills as redeemers of people's health. Medical education many of us see as irrelevant to the country's needs. The list of what needs to be done in health is endless. But little seems to have been tried in practice..."
Proceeding of Workshop on Breastfeeding and Supplementary Foods,
ed. Aree Valyaysevi and Jane Baker,
Institute of Nutrition and Department of Pediatrics
Ramathibodi Hospital
Mahidol University
Bangkok, Thailand.
Booklets containing the papers presented at this Workshop which took place in Bangkok in November 1979. Dealing almost exclusively with Asia, the papers cover issues such as the present status of knowledge on breastfeeding, country reports, timing for complementary feeding, home-based supplementary foods, and a series of recommendations for how breastfeeding can be promoted. Also reproduces the statement and recommendations of the WHO / UNICEF meeting on infant and young child feeding which took place in October 1979. A well-presented and informative report.
Mothers and Children
American Public Health Association
1015 Fifteen Street N.W.
Washington DC 20005
USA.
Described as a "bulletin on infant feeding and maternal nutrition " , this is an eight-page newsletter appearing three times a year in English, French and Spanish. Although published by a large establishment institution, it contains useful articles and information, and especially announcements for forthcoming women and health related conferences, books, reports etc. It is free.
Conference on Femicide
A group of women on the West Coast of the United States are organizing a conference on femicide to be held in Berkeley, California in August 1982. Femicide is the killing of women solely because we are women, a crime which is as prevalent as genocide but has not been acknowledged. They hope to focus attention on the widespread killing of sisters worldwide. They are asking for information about femicide in all the countries of the world, and specifically ask for : articles, statistics, reference papers, personal stories, names of women who can be contacted. Please write to : Susan J. Murray, The Femicide Conference Committee, c/o Berkeley Women's Center, 2955 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705, USA
Cervical Cap Handbook for Users and Fitters
Emma Goldman Clinic for Women
715 North Dodge
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
USA. US$3.
The cervical cap is a thimble-shaped rubber contraceptive device that fits snugly over the cervix. The cap can be used be many women who cannot by fit for a diaphragm or who simply find a diaphragm uncomfortable or inconvenient. The Cervical Cap Handbook for Users and Fitters contains a history of the cap, a cultural / political perspective on this method of birth control, a thorough discussion of the cap's advantages, disadvantages and alternative uses, and a feminist medical protocol for prospective fitters of the device. This is the first booklet where such information is made available.
Abortion - The Facts
Agenor
22, rue de Toulouse
Brussels 1040
Belgium.
A 60-page pamphlet on the situation concerning abortion in the countries of Western Europe : the legal situation, what actually happens in terms of legal and illegal abortions, and the state of the struggle. Also indicates the attitudes of political parties and the position and tactics of the pro-abortion movements.
The Agenor group is an independent, transnational left-wing group whose aim is to help break down the barriers to understanding and active solidarity amongst progressive forces in Europe. Agenor pamphlets appear monthly in English, but Abortion - The Facts has also been translated into French and Dutch.
Hot Flash ! Women reclaim menopause
Kathleen I. McPherson
Menopause Collective, Boston, USA.
Menopause : A Positive Approach
Rosetta Reitz
115 West 16 St., A p t . 267
NY, N Y 10011
USA.
Menopause : A Self Care Manual
Santa Fe Health Education Project
P.O. Box 577
Santa Fe NM 87501 USA. US$4.20 ($5 for outside North America, $6 for airmail)
All the above give a good feminist perspective and practical approach to menopause.
Our Bodies, Ourselves — a revised edition t
The Boston Women's Health Book Collective is currently working on a major revision of Our Bodies, Ourselves, their women and health best seller.
In addition to sections on reproductive issues, taking care of ourselves, sexuality and relationships, violence against women, and health and medical care, they are planning to add sections about women in the workplace, environmental hazards, reproductive technology, alternative forms of health care, and growing older. They will be making stronger distinctions between health care and medical care, and want to include more experiences from women of colour, women with disabilities, midlife and older women.
They are asking for written contributions - experiences in any of the above areas. Any material sent will become their property and will not be returned. Real names will not be used, and in case the material is not directly used, they will keep it on file for other women to read and learn from.
Contributions should be sent to : BWHBC, Box 192, West Sommerville, M A 02144, USA.
Muttermilch — Ein Menschenrecht
Reichsgrafenstr. 4
78 Freiburg i. BR.
Federal Republic of Germany.
A 6-page brochure on the worryingly high amount of poisonous chemicals in mother's milk, as tested by a group of women in Germany. The brochure is very clear about the advantages of breast milk, and demands the banning of production and use of all poisons which get into the environment and accumulate there and in the human body. An important expose on the environmental health issue, and how it directly affects women as mothers. In German, but English version available.
Depo-Provera : A Report by the Campaign Against Depo-Provera
CampaignProvera Campaign Against Depo-Provera
374 Gray's Inn Road
London WC1
UK. JC1.50.
Depo-Provera is a contraceptive injection. It is given to thousands of women all over the Third World. Yet it is not considered safe enough for general use in Britain or the United States. Why are there such double standards ? Depo-Provera : A Report gives detailed evidence of the drug's abuse by governments, drug companies, and the international family planning agencies. The booklet sets out the grim health hazards of the injection — risks of cancer, dangers to the children of women taking the drug, and alarming side-effects.
The Campaign Against Depo-Provera argues for a world-wide ban on this contraceptive and accuses the international family planning agencies of racist double standards in encouraging the use of this hazardous injection.
Women and Medical Practice
As the result of the conference on 'Women and Medical Practice' held in Nottingham on April 11th, and 12th, W.A.M.P. is now an active campaigning group. Those who came to the conference were all concerned with the present quality of health care available to women, and included both those women directly involved in providing health care and women on the receiving end, i.e. patients.
Four major issues emerged from the conference and these form the basis of the W.A.M.P. campaign. These issues are :
1. To alert women to the dangers of the present patriarchal medical and psychiatric system.
2. To challenge the attitudes and practices of the medical and psychiatric professions and put forward more effective ways of dealing with women's health care.
3. To encourage women to share their knowledge, skills, and experiences, with a view to regaining control of our own health.
4. To establish a nationwide information and referral service, a network of self-help groups, and ultimately women's health centres and clinics.
To date a great deal of interest has been expressed, and since the conference there are now six W.A.M.P. groups. We are hopeful more 'wamp' groups will be established to work not only on the National Campaigns, but on a local level as well.
Any women wishing to know more about W.A.M.P. or interested in becoming involved in the campaign please send s.a.e. (and donations I Please ?) either to...
W.A.M.P. or W.A.M.P.
c/o The Women's Centre c/o A Women's Place
32A Shakespeare St. 48 William IV Street
Nottingham London W.C.2
Among ISIS documentation are resources on disabled women, including articles such as "Disabled women disabled in a male world". As with all ISIS resources, this information is available through ISIS information service. We are also interested in receiving documentation in order to better answer information requests.
A report on the proceedings of the Third International Women and Health Meeting is also available in French from : Bon Sang I CP. 130 1211 Geneva 1 Switzerland
HEALTH
80 per cent of health budgets are used to cure the illnesses of a minority through the training and equipping of doctors who are usually men...
80 per cent of all illness in the Third World could be prevented by better nutrition, water supply, sanitation, immunisation and preventive health education - the responsibility for which is usually taken by women.