Our Bodies Our Blog

Challenging the Idea that Women’s Vaginas and Vulvas Need Cosmetic “Correction”

This week, Time magazine published an article on genital cosmetic surgery, "Plastic Surgery Below the Belt," focused on women getting procedures such as labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, and "G-spot enhancement." It notes that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a statement that these procedures may lead to "scarring, chronic pain, obstetric ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Throw “Our Bodies, Ourselves” on the Yule Log? Only With Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert has it in for "Our Bodies, Ourselves." During an interview with Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" this week to promote his upcoming TV special, "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!" (Sunday, Nov. 23, 10 p.m. EST), the talk-show host announced he was burning our flagship book, ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Plans to Close North Shore Birth Center Temporarily Postponed

North Shore Birth Center in Beverly, MA has been in the news recently, as its parent company, Northeast Health System, had planned to close the center and transfer all births to the Beverly Hospital. The center is staffed by nurse-midwives and is intended to offer a more "home-like" and less ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

HHS Ready to Implement New Rule on Physician Conscience

The Bush administration is poised to "grant sweeping new protections to health care providers who oppose abortion and other procedures on religious or moral grounds," despite the fact the rule change has provoked a "torrent of objections, including a strenuous protest from the government agency that enforces job discrimination laws," ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Finding Common Ground on Abortion

The Washington Post today features a page-one story on efforts to reduce -- not ban -- abortion. The emphasis on reduction is in part a response to the political reality of an Obama administration that will not be appointing Supreme Court justices who favor overturning Roe v. Wade, and the fact ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

The System is the Problem: Where the U.S. Ranks on Infant Mortality

"President-Elect Obama's healthcare reform proposals have focused intensely on two key questions: How much would reform cost and how many people would be covered? He also must address the critical issue of why the United States has such poor health outcomes despite all the money we spend," write Judy Norsigian, ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

New Cochrane Publication on Midwife-Led vs. Other Models of Maternity Care

The Cochrane Collaboration recently released a publication on midwifery-led care for childbirth compared with "other" or "shared care" models. The authors defined midwifery-led care as follows: "the midwife is the woman's lead professional, but one or more consultations with medical staff are often part of routine practice." Other models generally means ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Double Dose: Obama’s Pre-Inauguration Boom for Women’s Health; Baby in the Home (and Garden); Changing the Culture of Rape Prevention; Prescription Drugs Deliver Phthalates …

Obama Does More for Women's Health Pre-Inauguration Than Bush in 8 Years: "President-Elect Obama has not been inaugurated yet and, already, he's taken some critical steps towards restoring the United States as a leader in global women's health," writes Amie Newman at RH Reality Check. Newman goes on to identify ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Stephen Colbert on Women’s Health, With a Special OBOS Appearance

"Our Bodies, Ourselves" was featured in the beginning of Dr. Stephen Colbert's "Cheating Death" segment -- a biting look at the overuse of costly pharmaceuticals and the medical relevance of the Bee Gees. Oh yes, Colbert covers it all. Just look at what the skeleton is holding up when Colbert mentions "women health" (without air ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Choices in Childbirth Statement Encourages Options and Evidence in Maternity Care

Our Bodies Ourselves has just posted "Choices in Childbirth: A Statement by Physicians, Midwives and Women’s Health Advocates who Support Safe Choices in Childbirth," which articulates concerns about preserving safe choices in childbirth and respect for the diversity of women’s needs. Currently signed by more than 35 midwives, physicians, educators, ...

[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]