Reproductive Rights Groups Launch Educate Congress Initiative

Reproductive rights groups are partnering up for the 'Educate Congress' initiative, which will send a copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves to every congressional office. The action is designed to educate congressional representatives on how women's bodies work.

Our Bodies, Ourselves was originally published in 1971 by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective and is currently in its 9th edition. Judith Norsigian, Executive Director of the Our Bodies Ourselves organization, said that the goal of the action is to "advance evidence-based reproductive health policy-making in this country." She also went on to say, "most of us get pretty poor quality sex education and reproductive health education when we're growing up. This country has a long way to go in that respect."

Robert Macphearson notes that, after Congressman Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" comments on August 20, contributors to the latest editions of Our Bodies, Ourselves actually drove from Chicago to hand deliver a copy of the 944-page tome to Akin's office in Saint Louis, Missouri.

To fund the cost of the action, the groups in the Educate Congress initiative are doing a fundraiser on Indiegogo.com, a crowdfunding website. You can learn more about their campaign action plans and goals on their campaign home page.

Media Resources: Think Progress 10/23/12; The Washington Examiner 10/22/12; MedicalXpress.com 10/23/12

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