OBOS Today provides accessible sexual and reproductive health resources in multiple languages. Photo courtesy of Our Bodies Ourselves.
By Shira Sadeh ’25
Science & Environment Editor
From its inception, Our Bodies Ourselves has been a resource for women and gender expansive individuals to gain information regarding their physical health. Originally created in the late 1960s due to a lack of knowledge on cisgender women’s bodies, it’s now more relevant than ever in the fight for control over reproductive and sexual choices.
In May 1969, a group of women formed the Doctor’s Group in Boston, which later became the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective following a workshop titled “Women and Their Bodies,” the Our Bodies Ourselves Today website explains. The group arose out of a discussion about the workshop attendees’ experiences with doctors and limited knowledge of the functions of their own bodies. In 1970 they published a course book titled “Women and Their Bodies,” which was eventually renamed “Our Bodies, Ourselves” in 1971 to express the group’s agency over their bodies.
According to the organization’s website, the book cost 30 cents a copy after the 1971 rebrand and sold 225,000 copies by word of mouth. The most recent and updated version was published in 2011 after 40 years of regular revisions. The website goes on to explain that the group shifted into a volunteer-led advocacy initiative for social justice and women’s health in 2018 due to insufficient financial resources. That same year, Our Bodies Ourselves partnered with Suffolk University’s Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights. Most recently, in 2022, the two groups launched a joint website called “Our Bodies Ourselves Today” aimed at providing accessible resources covering extensive health topics for women and gender-expansive individuals.
In an interview with Mount Holyoke News, Saniya Lee Ghanoui, Ph.D, Program Director for OBOS Today, shared that the website is aimed at meeting the current political moment. “We want people to come to the site when they may have any questions about their health, body or sexuality, and be greeted with a plethora of resources for them to explore. I have said that I want Our Bodies Ourselves Today to be a comfortable place in an uncomfortable world,” she said.
This message was further reinforced in an open letter written by Ghanoui and Amy Agigian, the Executive Director of OBOS Today and professor of sociology and criminal justice at Suffolk University, posted on the website on Sept. 9, 2022. The letter listed issues such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade, widespread book bans on subjects such as racism, LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive health and policies targeting racial minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community and women. This political climate, the letter explains, means that individuals need access to free and accurate information on their bodies and sexualities now more than ever. “Our work is grounded in the feminist human rights principle that all people have a right to the highest attainable standards of physical, mental and sexual health. As educators, we know that knowledge can be revolutionary — because we see it every day. We want this site to be a north star in this period of disinformation and insecurity,” the letter stated.
The letter explained that the OBOS Today contains nine categories of information: Abortion and Contraception, Gender-based Violence, Growing Older, Heart Health, Menstruation through Menopause, Mental Health, Pregnancy and Childbirth and Sexual Anatomy and Sexuality. Each section is staffed by a handful of content experts, who devote their time to curating accurate and relevant information.
Additionally, the website explains that the original OBOS book was translated in 1970 into multiple global languages and adjusted to fit local contexts. In keeping with this tradition, as of September 2022 the resources from OBOS have been translated into 34 languages and partners in Brazil and many more countries have all published new books aimed at addressing local communities.
Ghanoui explained that of the biggest challenges facing OBOS Today, spreading the information they have to reach vulnerable populations is one they are prioritizing. Often, she explained, the people most affected by anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ violence are the ones who need these resources the most. Information, she claims, is a powerful tool. “It’s the reason why some politicians are trying to ban books — they know that educated people are powerful people,” Ghanoui said.
The OBOS Today website also describes the advocacy the group is involved in to engage in political struggles currently affecting the U.S. Their current efforts include increasing access to abortion and midwifery care, breast implant safety, advancing health and reproductive justice, empowering teen voices and advancing vulvovaginal education and care.
Ghanoui stated that the main goal for the future of OBOS Today is to spread the word and grow its audience. For the long-term development of the site, she explained that they are in the process of creating new projects that can further support their mission of providing accessible and accurate information. Currently, they are in the early stages of developing a mobile app and a podcast, as well as adding an advice column to the website.