Women's Health Action Trust
To register your venue for the Big Latch On 2010 -
Click here now
An unfortunate experiment" at National Women's Hospital
An unfortunate experiment" at National Women's Hospital
In 1987, Women's Health Action founders Sandra Coney and Phillida Bunkle, published an article called An unfortunate experiment" at National Women's Hospital- in the monthly Metro magazine (Part 1 and Part 2) The article outlined an unethical study at the country's premier women's hospital. The study, started in 1966, involved following women with major cervical abnormalities without definitively treating them. By 1987 many had developed cervical cancer and some had died.
The revelations led to a Committee of Inquiry, called the Cartwright Inquiry after the presiding judge, Judge Dame Silvia Cartwright (New Zealand's Governor General 2001-2006).
Her report (1988) was a blueprint for patients' rights in New Zealand and also recommended a National Cervical Screening Programme.
Women's Health Action is a charitable trust which aims to provide women with high quality information and education services to enable them to maintain their health and make informed choices about their health care.
We have a health promotion and disease prevention focus, with special interests in breastfeeding and screening.
We approach health within a holistic framework of the whole of women's lives, rather than from anarrowly medical perspective.
Our Vision - Well Women Empowered in a Healthy World ! aligns with our work to ensure that issues relating to gender remain on the health agenda, thereby ensuring women's health needs are recognised, understood and met.