Second Opinion
By Carol Leonetti
Connecticut Public Television

Every day in America nearly a thousand women die of heart diseases. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. And more and more women are contracting AIDS. Yet despite these alarming statistics, medical research has for years focused primarily on men, although women's bodies often respond differently to disease and medication.

This documentary offers an intimate look at three women who had to fight both the system and their providers to receive appropriate healthcare. Several members of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, authors of the well-known book, Our Bodies, Ourselves, provide perceptive commentary about the treatments these women received as well as the treatment of women's health in general.

Second Opinion will help women empower themselves when seeking medical care. It offers ways to become educated healthcare consumers, and to handle adversity in the course of treatment. It will be a valuable resource for nursing and allied health programs, schools of medicine, women's studies programs, outreach and advocacy groups, patient education, and public library collections.

29 minutes
© 1994
Purchase $149 VHS
Order No. QA-153
ISBN (VHS) 1-57295-153-2

Awards & Conference Screenings
EMMY Nomination
National Social Science Association
Columbus International Film and Video Festival
National Health Information Awards

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To rent or purchase this film, please visit the Icarus Films website

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