National Women's Health Network (U.S.)

Variant names

Dates:

Active 1975

Active 1996

Biographical notes:

Women's health advocacy organization.

Founded at the height of second wave feminism, the National Women's Health Network was an outgrowth of informal groups of women sharing their experiences. The idea for an organization that would enable women to influence health policy was hatched in the fall of 1974 by Barbara Seaman and Belita Cowan. The "Women's Health Lobby" (later called the National Women's Health Lobby Network, and finally the National Women's Health Network) was officially launched in 1975. That year, the Network received its first official donation: $15 from a Pittsburgh women's law firm that needed information on the Dalkon Shield in order to prepare the case of a client who had been injured by the device. Since its beginnings, the Network has waged numerous legal, organizing, and public education campaigns to increase women's input into the U.S. health care system. Currently, the Network is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with affiliates in New Mexico and New Jersey. As of 1987, it had 8,000 individual members and 400 organizational members. The National Women's Health Network improves the health of all women by developing and promoting a critical analysis of health issues in order to affect policy and support consumer decision-making. The Network aspires to a health care system that is guided by social justice and reflects the needs of diverse women.

From the description of National Women's Health Network Records, 1975-1996 (ongoing) (Smith College). WorldCat record id: 137846460