Stimulus Connect: Women, Drugs, Pregnancy and the State

By the Stimulus National Implementation and Planning Committee

Stimulus Connect was envisioned by the Stimulus National Implementation and Planning (SNIP) Committee in response to the parallel public health emergencies of the toxic illegal drug market and Covid-19. Stimulus Connect is not just another webinar, it is an opportunity for Canadian stakeholders in harm reduction and drug policy to come together, learn and network on specific topics. The topics are gathered through a range of methods including from SNIP meetings, media, previous Stimulus Connects as well as Happy Harm Reduction Hangout. Simultaneous Interpretation will be provided.

The webinar will be held on July 30, 2020 from 10am to Noon Pacific time/11am-1pm Mountain time/Noon-2pm Central time/1pm-3pm Eastern time/2pm-4pm Atlantic/2:30pm-4:30pm Newfoundland Labrador time.

Women experience increased barriers to health and social services, and when they use drugs and/or engage in sex work they experience additional stigma and discrimination. Women who are pregnant experience the additional judgements of government authorities and many health care providers about the choices they make including: to carry or not carry a fetus, to parent or give a child up, to access or not access prenatal care. In addition power imbalances in relationships mean that as injection drug users they are often second on the needle, reliant on a male for drugs to be injected.

There are a range of factors, and layers of overlapping oppression including sexism, racism, and classism, that lead women to need women-centred harm reduction programs and policies responsive to their lived realities. Their resilience is our teacher. Please join us as we Connect.

Click here to register.