Story by Kara Baskin
In 1970, a group of Boston area women self-published “Women and Their Bodies,” a groundbreaking booklet that addressed previously verboten topics, from reproductive health to sexuality. Soon known as Our Bodies, Ourselves, the book was a touchstone for generations of women. It was in print through 2011 and continues to live online today.
Thanks to Suffolk’s Center for Women’s Health & Human Rights, the pivotal text will come alive again as Our Bodies, Ourselves Today, updated online for modern readers at ourbodiesourselvestoday.org.
“There are so many reasons to get excited about this online platform. Women are still in dire need of information of the kind that Our Bodies, Ourselves provides—evidence and reality-based information that treats women as whole beings,” says center director Amy Agigian, who oversees the initiative.
The site initially will spotlight key topics including contraception, abortion, mental health, and heart health.
Suffolk has deep connections with Our Bodies, Ourselves cofounder Paula Doress-Worters, a Class of 1962 Suffolk alumna, and cofounder and Board Chair Judy Norsigian, who taught a Suffolk course called Women’s Health Advocacy for several years.
The online information—articles, videos, podcasts, first-person stories, and more—will be curated and vetted by expert panels. Panelists will include specialists ranging from policymakers to physicians to everyday women from all walks of life.
“This is extremely ambitious; we want to be the go-to for all sorts of women’s health issues,” Agigian says.
