Women Discuss Female Health Issues

In a panel discussion hosted by the Harvard College Women’s Center last night, three women with unique backgrounds in women’s health care engaged in an edgy dialogue with students.

In the discussion, entitled “Deviant Bodies,” panelists showcased their expertise in biological differences between sexes, health policy, and alternative birth methods, touching upon topics that ranged from the pressures women often feel to give birth in a hospital to the current controversy over mammogram coverage.

The panelists were Mary Ruggie, adjunct professor of public policy at the Kennedy School, Carole K. Hooven, a lecturer in anthropology and human evolutionary biology, and Mary Ellen Galante, a Cambridge-area midwife.

The experts welcomed inquiries from attendees, but they were the first to admit that they did not have all the answers to questions raised throughout the night’s discussion.

“I think it’s really important that students have a chance to not just hear or ask questions, but also engage in some kind of an exchange,” Ruggie said. “We’re constantly learning from each other.”

The panelists said that they hoped the discussion served more as an exercise in thinking about women’s issues with healthcare, as opposed to an event that sought to provide definitive answers.

“I hope that I can inspire people to be dispassionate investigators in terms of analyzing the data as it bears on questions such as sex differences and behavior,” said Hooven of her goals for the event.

According to Devin D. Smith, a senior at Lesley College who has been interning at the Center this semester and helped to organize the event, The Women’s Center wanted to bring the panelists together in an organized forum and use their “level of expertise” to encourage dialogue among students

The panel, held in Ticknor Lounge, attracted about 10 students, several of whom were females concentrating in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

“I feel that everyone should be informed and aware of different issues that are a part of communities that you might not be a part of,” said Jia Hui Lee ’12, one of the few males to attend the event. “As people who do not experience such an issue, knowing about them allows us to empathize and even be advocates for that issue.”