Our Bodies Our Blog
Occasional posts examining the intersection between health, politics, and reproductive justice.
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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…
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…
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…
Cervical Cancer Prevention: What You Can Do
January 25, 2019
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. More specifically, January 21-27 is Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, and for good reason: nearly 13,000 women…
Breast Reconstruction Options: What’s Best for You?
October 16, 2018
Some women decide to forego reconstruction and instead “go flat.” Read more->Women with breast cancer who undergo mastectomies often face difficult decisions…
The OBOS Founders’ Chronicle: 2017
July 18, 2018
Begun during the early days of the second wave of the U.S. women’s movement, Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS) (formerly known as the…
