Our Bodies Our Blog

 

Occasional posts examining the intersection between health, politics, and reproductive justice.

Depo provera
Depo-Provera: "I Wouldn’t Recommend It to Anyone"
close up of antidepressant pills
When Antidepressants Leave Lasting Damage
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Our Bodies Ourselves Update: December 2020

December 15, 2020

As 2020, a difficult year for so many, comes to a close, Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS) continues to do our part as…

Persistent and Pervasive: Feminists Take on Toxics

December 7, 2020

For a variety of reasons, including gendered work and home experiences, women face different environmental health risks than men. Women are more…

Abortion and Women’s Rights in 1970: A Film

October 12, 2020

In these scary times, with the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, it’s more important than ever to understand the history…

Addressing Institutional Racism & Health Inequality: My Perspective

August 18, 2020

Covid-19 has affected all aspects of our lives. It has exposed how much the United States is an unequal place for people…

Adapting “Our Bodies, Ourselves” to Brazilian Portuguese: The Translators’ Experiences

July 30, 2020

“[H]aving the opportunity of translating … “Our Bodies, Ourselves” to Brazilian Portuguese … brings me a profound sense of accomplishment, since there…

My Body, My Choice: Aesthetic Flat Closure after Mastectomy

July 21, 2020

In 2016, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. After careful consideration and lots of research, I decided…

Women with Breast Implants Should Not Need to Wait for Safety Information They Urgently Need

July 1, 2020

Although breast implants have been sold since the 1960s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved the use of silicone…

Free the Pill!

May 28, 2020

Sixty years ago this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the birth control pill for distribution in the United States…

Please Support Civil Liberties and Public Policy During the Covid-19 Crisis: An Appeal from Judy Norsigian

May 1, 2020

These challenging times require fierce, broad, and intersectional activism – which is just what Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP) has been…

Our Doctors, Ourselves: Barbara Seaman and Popular Health Feminism in the 1970s

February 13, 2020

“If the plastic speculum was the tool of choice for self-help advocates, leading women to a better understanding of their own bodies…

Our Bodies Ourselves Update: November 2019

November 30, 2019

by Judy Norsigian, OBOS Board Chair During these politically volatile times, Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS) continues to do our part as a now…

The Very Early Perimenopause: What We Can Learn from Dr. Jerilynn Prior’s Research

November 25, 2019

In my early 40s, I started noticing changes in my body. A once great sleeper, I was now waking at 2 a.m…

Dirty Business: Lack of Menstrual Equity in Colombian Prisons

October 25, 2019

Lee este post en español Let’s talk about menstruation – a natural and necessary process among women, but one that we have…

Negocio Sucio: Falta de Equidad Menstrual en las Cárceles Colombianas

October 25, 2019

Read this post in English Vamos a hablar de menstruación, el proceso más natural y necesario para la buena salud reproductiva entre…

Statement on Abortion and Reproductive Justice

August 30, 2019

August 2019 The founders and board of directors of Our Bodies Ourselves believe abortion is an integral component of health care and…

Congress Wants to Give Companies the Right to Own Our Genes

June 18, 2019

Six years ago, on June 13, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court in AMP v. Myriad took a great step forward for women’s…

“Simone de Beauvoir alone would never have gotten me from intellect to action”

June 13, 2019

Note from OBOS co-founder Judy Norsigian: After publication of my reflections piece in the June 2019 issue of the American Journal of…

Our Bodies Ourselves Update: May 2019

June 3, 2019

Our Bodies Ourselves is now more than seven months into its transition to a volunteer-driven nonprofit, with a few paid consultants, a…

Refusing to Be Silenced: Federal Gag Rule an Active Threat to All Who Care about HIV

May 3, 2019

On April 23, Judge Michael McShane of Federal District Court in Oregon issued a preliminary injunction against a federal “gag rule” written…

“A Female Body in this Specific Moment”: Our Bodies Ourselves Exhibition

March 19, 2019

As the 50th anniversary of the first edition of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” approaches, a New Haven museum has launched an exhibition featuring…

Gender-Inclusive Puberty and Health Education is Life-Affirming for All

March 7, 2019

A fifth-grade student walks into their first-ever puberty education class. They look around the room: maybe they feel like everyone else has…