Dr Harry Cohen AM
MB, BS (Adelaide), FRACOG
MAPW mourns Dr Harry Cohen, who died in Perth on 30 March 2024, and celebrates his magnificent life and remarkable contributions.
Harry’s parents migrated to Perth from Palestine in the 1920s. He grew up in Perth, studied medicine in Adelaide before there was a medical school in Perth, and obstetrics and gynaecology in London. He and June were blessed with four children. Tragically,
daughter Kirsten died in 1975 of complications of cardiac surgery.
Harry’s contributions to the care of women and children, and to public and planetary health were inspiring. He helped thousands of women have their babies safely, became clinical director of King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Perth, worked with Cheryl Davenport MP to develop and advocate for the legislation which in 1998 removed abortion from the criminal code in WA, and led a statewide review of obstetric services in Western Australia in 2005-6. He co-founded the Trinity Learning Centre in Perth to provide academic, social, personal and emotional support to enable young mothers to continue their education. He represented WA on the National Council of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Harry became the founding coordinator of the WA branch of the MAPW in 1981, and went on to serve as president and vice-president of MAPW. He engaged actively in IPPNW congresses and regional meetings during the 1980s and 90s.
In 1995, Harry was made a Member of the Order of Australia “for service to medicine, particularly in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology and to international relations”.
Harry served as president of WA’s leading environmental organisation, the Conservation Council of Western Australia, and also as national president of Sustainable Population Australia.
Generous friend, inspiring mentor and teacher to many, Harry’s compassionate heart embraced the whole world.
Vale Harry.
