Adrienne Germain (1947 – May 19, 2022) was a women's health advocate and activist. She was the second president of the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC). Germain was also a researcher and author.
Germain earned a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 1969 and had a master's degree in sociology and demography from the University of California, Berkeley.[1] Germain was the first woman to act as a representative of "any donor agency" in Bangladesh.[2] Germain worked for the Ford Foundation for 14 years before she started working at the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC).[1] She was appointed vice president of IWHC in 1985.[3] Germain worked as a strategist and adviser to the United States delegation at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.[2] Germain feels that it is essential for women's rights that women have the freedom to control their own bodies and full access to educational opportunities.[4] She says, "If they are forced to have sex, denied information and protection about sexual diseases, it limits how they can be and act in the world."[4]
Germain received the United Nations Population Award in June 2012 in recognition of her work in the field.[1][5]
Germain died by suicide on May 19, 2022.
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