About TWHN Community Resources

About TWHN Community Resources Past Newsletters

Toronto Women's Health Network (TWHN)
c/o Toronto Public Health,
1115 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario M6J 1J1

TWHN Spring 2009 Newsletter

Thank you and Good-bye

An era has come to an end. It is time to shut down our web-site.

The Toronto Women’s Health Network was founded at a women’s health conference in 1981. It was open to anyone who was interested in carrying on the discussions that had begun at that conference, but the word quickly spread to a broader group of activists, front-line health care workers, researchers, students, and those concerned about the changes that were needed in women’s health.

We started having monthly meetings in the private home of one member. Here, representatives from the Alternative Birth Collective discussed the need for the legalization of midwifery, we learned about DES, we examined our cervixes, and learned about the gaps in service in women’s health. Eventually, our sisters from the DisAbled Women’s Network told us they wanted an accessible location, that meeting in an inaccessible private residence was shutting them out, so we moved to one. These fascinating monthly meetings were reported in a print newsletter sent out to our mailing list, for which people and agencies paid a modest membership. Free subscriptions were available for those who couldn’t afford it. We included networking and resources. Women told us it was a valuable tool. We marched behind our banner in IWD parades and had a booth at March 8 events and hosts of conferences and meetings over the years. We helped to nurture the development of a DES Action group in Toronto for women exposed to the drug diethylstilbestrol in pregnancy.

As more and more people began using computers and our numbers dwindled, both in membership and at our meetings, we moved to the Web. We posted monthly newsletters in which our format changed from capturing the discussion at our meetings to summaries of interviews with women working in the health field. We also continued to include networking and resource information. You may have noticed that the last post was in 2007!

During those 20 plus years, we always made a phone number available. Every year, we fielded dozens of calls, like: “Where can I get an abortion?” and “My doctor says I have to have a hysterectomy. What should I do?” Regarding the latter, we printed two pamphlets on hysterectomy because of questions like these – at two levels of literacy, and translated into French and Oji-Cree.

We also participated as advocates and stakeholders; for example, in the national hearings on contraception, making a deposition on Depo Provera; in provincial hearings on naturopathic medicine, and as part of an investigation into the high numbers of hysterectomies in Ontario.

As information about women’s health became more readily available, people still turned to us as trusted and professional informants and advocates. By this time, there were other trusted voices, like the Canadian Women’s Health Network and Women and Health Protection.

The web-site will be put to rest in October 2009. It has done its job. We appreciate the kind words over the years. We have enjoyed the opportunity to serve.

And remember: when you are looking for health information, keep an eye on credentials, ask whose evidence practices and assumptions are based upon, and watch out for potential conflict of interest. It is not always easy to find information you can trust out in cyberspace.

In the interim, go to Public Health Units’ web-sites and the Canadian Women’s Health Network. You will probably find links to the answers you seek.

All good things must come to an end. We’ve enjoyed the ride and have learned so much from each other.

Thank you for supporting us over the years.

In sisterhood and solidarity.

Lyba Spring (416-338-3618; lspring@toronto.ca)

Anne Rochon Ford

Zelda Abramson

About TWHN	Community Resources	Past Newsletters
Toronto Women's Health Network (TWHN) c/o Toronto Public Health, 1115 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario M6J 1J1
TWHN Spring 2009 Newsletter
Thank you and Good-bye An era has come to an end. It is time to shut down our web-site. The Toronto Women’s Health Network was founded at a women’s health conference in 1981. It was open to anyone who was interested in carrying on the discussions that had begun at that conference, but the word quickly spread to a broader group of activists, front-line health care workers, researchers, students, and those concerned about the changes that were needed in women’s health. We started having monthly meetings in the private home of one member. Here, representatives from the Alternative Birth Collective discussed the need for the legalization of midwifery, we learned about DES, we examined our cervixes, and learned about the gaps in service in women’s health. Eventually, our sisters from the DisAbled Women’s Network told us they wanted an accessible location, that meeting in an inaccessible private residence was shutting them out, so we moved to one. These fascinating monthly meetings were reported in a print newsletter sent out to our mailing list, for which people and agencies paid a modest membership. Free subscriptions were available for those who couldn’t afford it. We included networking and resources. Women told us it was a valuable tool. We marched behind our banner in IWD parades and had a booth at March 8 events and hosts of conferences and meetings over the years. We helped to nurture the development of a DES Action group in Toronto for women exposed to the drug diethylstilbestrol in pregnancy. As more and more people began using computers and our numbers dwindled, both in membership and at our meetings, we moved to the Web. We posted monthly newsletters in which our format changed from capturing the discussion at our meetings to summaries of interviews with women working in the health field. We also continued to include networking and resource information. You may have noticed that the last post was in 2007! During those 20 plus years, we always made a phone number available. Every year, we fielded dozens of calls, like: “Where can I get an abortion?” and “My doctor says I have to have a hysterectomy. What should I do?” Regarding the latter, we printed two pamphlets on hysterectomy because of questions like these – at two levels of literacy, and translated into French and Oji-Cree. We also participated as advocates and stakeholders; for example, in the national hearings on contraception, making a deposition on Depo Provera; in provincial hearings on naturopathic medicine, and as part of an investigation into the high numbers of hysterectomies in Ontario. As information about women’s health became more readily available, people still turned to us as trusted and professional informants and advocates. By this time, there were other trusted voices, like the Canadian Women’s Health Network and Women and Health Protection. The web-site will be put to rest in October 2009. It has done its job. We appreciate the kind words over the years. We have enjoyed the opportunity to serve. And remember: when you are looking for health information, keep an eye on credentials, ask whose evidence practices and assumptions are based upon, and watch out for potential conflict of interest. It is not always easy to find information you can trust out in cyberspace. In the interim, go to Public Health Units’ web-sites and the Canadian Women’s Health Network. You will probably find links to the answers you seek. All good things must come to an end. We’ve enjoyed the ride and have learned so much from each other. Thank you for supporting us over the years. In sisterhood and solidarity. Lyba Spring (416-338-3618; lspring@toronto.ca) Anne Rochon Ford Zelda Abramson