Dear Friends,

The feminist health movement had its beginnings in grassroots organizing and activism.  So it isn’t surprising that when women’s health organizations received a message from a supporter suggesting each member of Congress needs a copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves, a national movement began.

On Monday, I joined other national organizations to kick off the Educate Congress campaign.  Each member of Congress will be given a copy of the groundbreaking book, Our Bodies, Ourselves, because everyone deserves access to accurate, evidence-based information about women’s health, sexuality, and reproduction – especially those who write the laws!

It is no surprise that Congress needs an education on many topics— especially women’s health.  Legislators are making statements about science that are just plain WRONG.  And we aren’t talking about opinions, but statements presented as fact that we know are not true. The most highly publicized of these was, of course, in August, when Senate candidate, Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) was asked in a televised interview whether abortion should be permitted in the case of a pregnancy caused by rape, and he responded, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

The only thing that needs shutting down is this type of misinformation.  Fortunately, supporters of Our Bodies Ourselves were able to hand deliver a copy of the book to Mr. Akin – and that trip to Missouri was the catalyst for the supporter’s idea and the Educate Congress Campaign.  Each day, the NWHN uses Our Bodies, Ourselves to help inform individuals who contact us with health questions.  We refer to the book on everything from abortion, contraception, body image, and sexually transmitted diseases.  It presents clear, accurate, and evidence-based information about women’s health from a feminist and consumer perspective.

Students are now back in school, so we are calling on Congress to take time to educate themselves on the FACTS about women’s health.  All elected officials—from both parties—can benefit from the book and its basic, straightforward, practical and ACCURATE information about the science of women’s health.

Thank you,


Cindy Pearson
Executive Director

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