Marcia L. Storch (1933 – 1998) was the first self-declared

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

Early life

She was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Pennsylvania, in 1933. In 1971 Storch graduated from

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

and

Medical College of Pennsylvania Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The medical school represents the consolidation of two medical schools: Hahnemann Medical College, orig ...

. Soon after graduating she moved to New York, where she went on to practice medicine. Storch insisted her patients partake in more decisions when it came to their health.

Career

She became the director of the Adolescent Gynecology and Family planning clinic at St. Luke's–Roosevelt Hospital Center. She was a strong advocate to women being able to choose the type of

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

they wanted or pain medication to use during child birth. At the clinic, she provided treatment and information on

sexually transmitted diseases A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, oral ...

to tens of thousands of disadvantaged teens. In 1987 Storch went into practice with Dr. Shelley Kolton in lower 5th avenue, New York, later relocating to SoHo, an underdeveloped neighborhood. By 1989 Storch decided to retire from her practice and pursue to spread the word about women's health practices. Storch became the head of Ob/Gyn news for the Medical News Network. As a television and radio producer she created programming geared towards family physicians and the Lifetime medical network.

Phyllis Chesler Phyllis Chesler (born October 1, 1940) is an American writer, psychotherapist, and professor emerita of psychology and women's studies at the College of Staten Island (CUNY). She is a renowned second-wave feminist psychologist and the author of ...

, a co-founder of the Women's Health Network and author of ''Women and Madness,'' called Storch "both a pioneer and role model in feminist medicine"''.''

Storch Scholarship

Before her death from ovarian cancer, Storch wished to establish a scholarship fund through the Center for Reproductive Science. She wanted to encourage undergraduate women to study the basic physiology and biochemistry of the ovary. According to Northwest, with contributions received, the CRS established a scholarship fund in her name.

Written works

* How to relieve cramps and other menstrual problems * Painless Periods * Women's health products handbook: smartbuys for healthy bodies – Marcia L. Storch, Ann Ann Rinzler 1996 * Cramps- coping with menstruation and premenstrual tension including a full exercise program

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Storch, Marcia American feminists 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians American gynecologists 1933 births 1998 deaths Women gynaecologists LGBTQ physicians 20th-century American LGBTQ people Physicians from Pittsburgh Bryn Mawr College alumni Drexel University alumni