health

Pill Side Effects Hard to Swallow by Brittany Shoot

Pill Side Effects Hard to Swallow

When the first generation of birth control pills was approved for sale in 1960, “the pill,” as it came to be known, was heralded as a great liberator. At long last women could reliably control their fertility. After just two years on the market, more than a million women were incorporating the pill into their daily routine. Within five years, the pill had become the most popular form of birth control in North America.

The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry by Misha Warbanski

The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry

Take a look around your bathroom. The average North American woman uses 10 or more personal care products every day.

From toothpaste and soap to antiperspirant and moisturizer, personal care products are made from 10,500 chemical ingredients that are as much a part of our daily routine as sitting down to breakfast.

And like most things that happen before a mug of morning coffee, it’s easy not to think about them too much. But researchers and women’s health activists are sounding the alarm bell about the makeup of makeup.

How to Save the World in Your Spare Time by Kate Heartfield

How to Save the World in Your Spare Time

Elizabeth May is a tireless environmental activist and feminist. As executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada (now EcoJustice), she is in a unique situation to influence public policy. She held a public hunger strike on Parliament Hill to get Ottawa’s attention on the eco-disaster the Sydney tar ponds.

A lawyer by trade, May is author of At the Cutting Edge, a Canadian primer on the environmental impact of current forestry practices, and of a lengthy essay called “How to be an Activist” . Herizons caught up with May in Ottawa.

Will Women Save the Earth? by Leigh Felesky

Will Women Save the Earth?

Sunlight twinkles on the water as waves cover the rocks, then recede, and then engulf them again. The light breeze is fresh and the day welcoming. Surroundings are resort-like, with beaches, green playgrounds and tiny, ivy-covered houses.

"Open?" I inquire. "Yes, the water is considered safe to swim in," explains my born-and-raised-in-Toronto companion. "I wouldn't go in there though."

Still, many barefoot and water-winged children laugh and play at one end of the beach.

Last Rights: Women and Assisted Dying by Jocelyn Downie

Last Rights: Women and Assisted Dying

In the early 1990s, Sue Rodriguez challenged Canada’s Criminal Code prohibition on assisted dying. The 42-year-old, who was living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), fought for the right to end her life at a time of her choosing with the aid of a physician. She believed the ban infringed on her right to liberty and security of the person as well as her right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, and her equality rights.

Red Tent Revolution by Jeanie Keogh