Judy Norsigian Collection

Background on Judy Norsigian

Judy Norsigian is a prominent advocate for women's reproductive health and was a co-founder of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, better known by its later and the title of its best-known book, Our Bodies, Ourselves. A landmark work on sexuality and reproductive health a key work in second wave feminism, Our Bodies Ourselves arose out of a women's liberation conference in May 1969 at which a dozen young women in a workshop on "Women and their bodies" were galvanized by the experience of sharing information and personal stories. Hoping to continue exploring and sharing the issues raised in the workshop, these women formed "The Doctors' Group" to serve as a place for continuing exchange about women's health and bodies.

To share their discoveries with a broader audience, Norsigian and her colleagues published a booklet through the radical New England Free Press which became a runaway best seller on the underground market. The Doctor's Group incorporated in 1972 as the Boston Women's Health Book Collective and struck a deal with Simon and Schuster to published the first edition of Our Bodies Ourselves. Norsigian served as editor of each of the nine editions of the book and became executive director of the collective from 2001 to 2015. In high demand for her insights into women's health issues, she has served on the boards of the National Women's Health Network and Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research, as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Contraceptive Research and Development Program, and on several committees at the Institute of Medicine related to contraceptive research.