(MIS)Treated

A recent study shows that autism is almost as prevalent in girls as it is in boys - so why have we been led to believe that autism is something that mostly impacts boys and men? The February 2026 study suggests that the difference, in part, is that girls are often diagnosed much later in life.
On today's episode, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Julie M. Green about what it was like to be diagnosed with autism as a mother at age 44, while also raising a child on the spectrum. She documents this experience in her book, "Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood and Radical Acceptance."
Links:
Towards the equal recognition of autism in girls and women https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s120.full
Everyone thought autism mostly affected boys. This study says otherwise https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260210082921.htm
“I was always on the outside, watching quietly”: Autistic women reflect on school experiences https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03632-y
Hans Asperger 'collaborated with Nazis' in WWII https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43820794
About Autism https://www.autismontario.com/about-autism
Finding the True Number of Females with Autistic Spectrum Disorder by Estimating the Biases in Initial Recognition and Clinical Diagnosis https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8870038/
From the CDC: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8214927/
Camouflaging and suicide behavior in adults with autism spectrum condition: A mixed methods systematic review https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050656525000124
8 Health Conditions Commonly Linked to Autism https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-autism-spectrum-disorder/202108/8-health-conditions-commonly-linked-autism
10. A Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Neurodiversity and Psychosexual Functioning in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10243356/
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A bill looking to establish a national framework for women's health is making its way through the Senate. What does Bill S-243 look to implement?
In Canada women represent 50% of the population, nearly half of the labour workforce, and make up 75% of health care professionals. But somehow when it comes to women's health, it's considered to be a niche topic. Not only has women's health been historically under researched, underfunded, and misunderstood, women working in healthcare also face additional barriers.
Under the leadership of Senator Danièle Henkel, a coalition of professionals in healthcare, FemTech, and research have come together to try to address gaps in women's health with this new bill.
Today, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Dr. Jennifer Blake from the Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition about the bill, why Canada needs a national framework for women's health, the gaps that currently exist, and why women's health continues to be seen as niche.
Links:
‘It’s not my bill, it’s our bill’: Senator Henkel and 50 advocacy groups push for law calling for women’s health framework https://www.hilltimes.com/2026/03/01/its-not-my-bill-its-our-bill-senator-henkel-and-50-advocacy-groups-push-for-law-calling-for-womens-health-framework/493464/
New study finds female family doctors spend more time caring for patients, yet earn less https://www.oma.org/newsroom/news-releases/2026/january/new-study-finds-female-family-doctors-spend-more-time-caring-for-patients-yet-earn-less/
Health workforce in Canada: Overview https://www.cihi.ca/en/health-workforce-in-canada-overview
What’s the plan? New bill before Senate aims to provide a framework for women’s health https://canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/whats-plan-new-bill-senate-aims-provide-framework-womens-health
Federal health minister to launch strategy on men’s and boys’ health in 2026 https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/federal-health-minister-to-launch-strategy-on-mens-and-boys-health-in-2026/
Opinion: Canada’s blind spot on drug safety in pregnancy https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/op-eds/opinion-canadas-blind-spot-on-drug-safety-in-pregnancy/
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What's it like to navigate fertility care as it becomes increasingly profit-driven in Ontario?
Infertility is considered a medical condition by the World Health Organization and in Canada, it's defined by age. A study from 2023 shows that a fifth of men believe that fertility is a "woman's problem," but the science says otherwise. Approximately one third of infertility is attributed to male factors, another third is attributed to female factors, and in one third of couples, there is no cause identified. This is known as unexplained infertility.
One of the key medical interventions for infertility is called in-vitro fertilization – or IVF. IVF has become a big business. In 2023, it was estimated at $50 billion and is projected to double in the next decade.
Today, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka is joined by journalist Caitlin Walsh-Miller and Irene Darrell-Austin, a Toronto-resident with lived experience navigating fertility care. They talk about how infertility impacts families, the growing disparity of who can access treatments and why this industry needs to be regulated.

Links:
The High Price of Hope https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/inside-torontos-white-hot-fertility-market/
Private equity piles into Canada's fertility clinics https://financialpost.com/feature/private-equity-piles-into-canada-fertility-clinics
Disturbing errors at Ontario fertility clinics destroy couples’ baby dreams years after province abandoned oversight plans https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/disturbing-errors-at-ontario-fertility-clinics-destroy-couples-baby-dreams-years-after-province-abandoned-oversight/article_502ba774-1f20-4fb0-b2e3-4fb7780e3e82.html#tncms-source=login
Fertility is not just a 'women’s problem' but a fifth of men think it is, a new study finds https://www.euronews.com/health/2023/06/10/fertility-is-not-just-a-womens-problem-yet-a-fifth-of-men-think-it-is-study-finds
Male Infertility is a Women’s Health Issue—Research and Clinical Evaluation of Male Infertility Is Needed https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7226946/
Yes, men have a biological clock too. But it’s not just age that affects male fertility https://theconversation.com/yes-men-have-a-biological-clock-too-but-its-not-just-age-that-affects-male-fertility-268298
The female scientist who changed human fertility forever https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200103-the-female-scientist-who-changed-human-fertility-forever
Where Is the First ‘Test-Tube Baby’ Now? All About Louise Joy Brown, the First Child Ever Born via IVF https://people.com/where-is-louise-joy-brown-the-first-ivf-baby-now-8748006
IVF: The women who helped make it happen https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6352853/
The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/pope-secret-history-ivf?src=longreads
How IVF has led to a record number of single moms in their 40s https://www.npr.org/2026/01/12/nx-s1-5647761/ivf-fertility-motherhood-40s-cost-donor-decision
Ontario Connecting More Families to Fertility Supports https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1007375/ontario-connecting-more-families-to-fertility-supports
Celebs IVF: All the celebrities who had IVF, from Kourtney Kardashian to Jennifer Aniston https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/g39990713/celebs-ivf/

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In this country, midwives "were once a cornerstone of every Indigenous community." What happened?
Before the 20th century, midwifery was essential for communities throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. With the growth of western medicine in the late 1800s to early 1900s, midwives were instead accused of being unsanitary and unscientific. Midwifery became known as "the Midwife problem," and the practice was phased out and operated in legal "grey zones."
In 1994, after decades of midwives pushing back, Ontario became the first province in Canada to recognize and legalize midwives. In 2024, PEI became the final province in Canada to officially recognize midwifery. If the history of midwives is this complicated in the Global North, what is it like to practice as a midwife in places experiencing civil unrest or conflict?
A new documentary follows five midwives who are doing that work. On today's episode, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks to two midwives, Ximena Rojas Garcia and Jay MacGillivray, as well as Nance Ackerman, the director of "The Delivery Line: Midwives on the Frontlines." Together, they speak about the challenges of the work that these midwives do, but also about the joy of catching a baby.
Links:
Midwifery: A Woman's Labour, A Woman's Choice, 1994 CanLIIDocs 506 https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/1994CanLIIDocs506#!fragment//BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoByCgSgBpltTCIBFRQ3AT0otokLC4EbDtyp8BQkAGU8pAELcASgFEAMioBqAQQByAYRW1SYAEbRS2ONWpA
British Columbia to let midwives prescribe abortion pill and other drugs https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/british-columbia/british-columbia-to-let-midwives-prescribe-abortion-pill-and-other-drugs/article_f4b5639a-847f-5038-98a1-b82fb4208b00.html#tncms-source=login
Indigenous communities across Canada have always had midwives https://indigenousmidwifery.ca/history-strategic-plan/
A Brief History of Midwifery in America
https://www.ohsu.edu/womens-health/brief-history-midwifery-america
THE MIDWIFE PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/236051
Why Are We Asking Doctors If Women Should Have Midwives?
https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/holistic-healthcare/why-are-we-asking-doctors-if-women-should-have-midwives.html
Childbirth evacuation among rural and remote Indigenous communities in Canada: A scoping review
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S187151922100038X
25 years on: What midwifery in Canada has achieved and what it still needs https://theconversation.com/25-years-on-what-midwifery-in-canada-has-achieved-and-what-it-still-needs-120210
The Destruction of Canadian Midwifery during the 20th Century
https://birthinternational.com/the-re-emergence-of-canadian-midwifery/?srsltid=AfmBOoq9ax0eNorpdo1FISNUjB2sOB7TlOFK1Mo79rbISeZ9DLcxZhHN
After decades-long push, P.E.I. now offers midwifery to oversee pregnancies https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-midwifery-services-offered-1.7102229
Georgia bans many midwives from practicing. Now, several are suing the state https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/midwives-sue-challenge-state-restrictions-rcna264951
Facing rural realities and mistrust in hospitals, these women turned to home births
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/freebirthing-rural-maternal-medicine-9.7172199

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This episode is about forced and coerced sterilization of Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Please listen with care.
In 2025, Senator Yvonne Boyer, Ontario's first Indigenous senator, proposed a bill to criminalize forced and coerced sterilization. If passed, Bill S-228 will amend the Criminal Code to ensure that forced sterilization would be included in the definition of aggravated assault, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The bill follows Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission - the TRC. The TRC was meant to bring a "fair and lasting" resolution to the legacy of Indian residential schools, and by extension, Canadian colonialism. One of the Calls to Action from the TRC was for Canada to hold a national inquiry into the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. That Inquiry dealt with a wide range of concerns, including forced and coerced sterilizations.
This Red Dress Day, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka features Harmony Redsky from the Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice. Harmony reveals how one survivor was sterilized as recently as 2024. The episode discusses the history of forced and coerced sterilization, the organization's survivor-led initiatives, and the current push for legislative change to criminalize these violations.
Special thanks to Pam Palmeter for production support.
Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.
Research links:
Survivors Circle for Reproductive Justice
https://www.reproductivejusticesurvivors.ca/
Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100015576/1571581687074
UN Special Rapporteurs Highlight Forced Sterilization of Indigenous Women in Canada
https://cglj.org/2019/07/18/un-special-rapporteurs-highlight-forced-sterilization-of-indigenous-women-in-canada/
Canada indigenous women were coerced into sterilisations, lawsuit says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/27/canada-indigenous-women-sterilisation-lawsuit
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1448633299414/1534526479029
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
https://nctr.ca/about/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-of-canada-calls-to-action/
Hundreds gather to celebrate Murray Sinclair's legacy with round dance in Winnipeg
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/murray-sinclair-round-dance-9.7059423
Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g16/000/97/pdf/g1600097.pdf?OpenElement
A legacy of colonialism: Senate Bill S-228 aims to criminalize the forced sterilization of women
https://www.ipolitics.ca/2025/08/07/a-legacy-of-colonialism-senate-bill-s-228-aims-to-criminalize-the-forced-sterilization-of-women/
Rather than a ‘chilling effect’, Bill S-228 provides protection from forced sterilization
https://healthydebate.ca/2026/04/topic/bill-s228-protection-forced-sterilization/
A federal bill aimed at protecting women could actually cause harm
https://healthydebate.ca/2026/03/topic/bill-s228-sterilization-womens-health/
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