History

The women’s health movement grew out of the women’s liberation movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Women’s health activists within the feminist movement were interested in equalizing health care for women by providing alternatives to the existing patriarchal model of gynecological care and by offering access to care for underserved populations.

The decriminalization of abortion in 1973 was an important catalyst that led these activists to establish feminist women’s health centers across the country. These clinics focused on self-help techniques such as cervical and breast self-exam, and on other issues central to the women's health movement at the time such as alternative birthing practices, workplace health, sterilization abuses, and reproductive health education.

In 1975, Chicago Women’s Health Center was created with the mission of offering affordable, educational, and sensitive gynecological services that emphasized self-examination and a peer approach to health care. We continue this mission as the only remaining collectively run women’s health center in the country. Over the years, we have expanded in response to our clients’ needs:

History Timeline

1982: Prenatal care and obstetric services (closed 2002)

1982: Problem-oriented gynecology

1987: Alternative Insemination Program

1988: Outreach & Education Program

1989: Counseling and Social Work services

1995: Street-level accessible exam space

2003: Childbirth Education Classes