Professor Judith Houck’s newest book, Looking Through the Speculum: Examining the Women’s Health Movement, was recently published by the University of Chicago Press in January 2024. The book examines the women’s health movement of the 1970’s through the lens of medical history and second wave feminism. Professor Houck highlights the experience of lesbians, straight women, and women of color — all of whom have a crucial role to play in the history of women’s health care and reproductive control in venues beyond the hospital or doctor’s office.
“At a moment when reproductive and bodily autonomy are under threat more than ever, Houck tells a timely story of women’s health movement activist who demystified and transformed reproductive medicine to establish liberatory health practices and institutions. Houck’s protagonists also grappled with intersectional marginalization, leading many to demand healthcare that embraced the particular needs and demands of lesbians, trans people, and women of color. ” – Jennifer Nelson, University of Redlands
For more information, on Looking Through the Speculum: Examining the Women’s Health Movement, please visit The University of Chicago Press.