Paula Doress-Worters, Who Redefined Women’s Health, Dies at 87

March 16, 2026 - 05:23

Paula Doress-Worters, a foundational figure in the modern women’s health movement, has died at the age of 87. Her work was instrumental in transforming private, often stigmatized health issues into subjects of public knowledge and empowerment.

Doress-Worters was a key member of the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. This group of activists collaboratively researched and wrote the revolutionary resource "Our Bodies, Ourselves." First published in the early 1970s, the book provided frank, accessible information on topics long considered taboo, including sexuality, contraception, abortion, and postpartum depression. It encouraged women to understand their own bodies and to advocate for themselves within the medical system.

The manual, updated and translated into dozens of languages, became an international phenomenon. It shifted cultural conversations by treating women as authoritative agents of their own health rather than passive patients. Doress-Worters’s contributions helped educate generations of women, fostering a legacy of informed consent and bodily autonomy that continues to resonate today. Her activism ensured that vital health information was not confined to medical offices but was made available for all women to share and discuss openly.