NEWS PROVIDED BY
Natural Womanhood
May 11, 2022

OPINION, May 11, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- Mother Jones, a major liberal digital media outlet, published an article by Kiera Butler titled "The Anti-Abortion Movement's Next Target: Birth Control" last Thursday. It mentioned Natural Womanhood, a US non-profit organization that provides its readers with vital, evidence-based information about the risks of birth control and the benefits of natural birth control alternatives.

The article claimed that NW is part of a movement to remove access to birth control, which Butler portrayed as the next frontier for the pro-life movement post-Roe v. Wade. NW would like to address her accusations, which are currently being lobbed at many religious, conservative, and/or pro-life organizations, in an effort to foment fear ahead of the Supreme Court's upcoming Roe v. Wade decision.

Claim #1: Natural Womanhood wants to "take away birth control" from women.

If this were true, why would our major effort in the past year be a petition to the FDA that asks the administration for more transparency about the side effects of birth control? We believe that pharmaceutical birth control is a reality in our society, and that women and couples should be free to choose that option if they wish, but that it is also time to consider with open eyes some of the harms of contraception, and to speak up about healthier, equally effective alternatives. In short, it is Natural Womanhood's position that women deserve better than the artificial birth control solutions promoted to them.

Claim #2: Natural Womanhood is anti-choice.

When it comes to family planning and reproductive health, Natural Womanhood is pro- informed choice. We believe that women need to be informed of the risks and side effects of birth control and other reproductive health technologies like IVF, and deserve information about evidence-based alternatives. Women are not usually given this information and these choices, and we want to change that, not control what they do in the end.

Claim #3: Natural Womanhood's claims about birth control side effects are exaggerated.

Natural Womanhood's claims concerning birth control side effects are not an exaggeration or a scare tactic. They are founded on sound research conducted by health professionals and academics, as well as real women's experiences. Readers can find citations for this research on this page: https://naturalwomanhood.org/topic/birth-control-side-effects. In addition, our Scientific Advisory Board, which is composed of medical doctors and fertility health experts, has scientifically and medically reviewed over one hundred of our latest and most popular articles.

Claim #4: Natural Womanhood is affiliated with pro-life organizations.

Contrary to what the Mother Jones article implies, Natural Womanhood does not have formal ties with any organizations advocating for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Abortion rights is not a Natural Womanhood issue, and out of the 500-plus articles we have published over the past decade, only two or three discuss abortion. When we do discuss abortion, we focus on the health and welfare of the women involved.

We have good informal relationships with pro-life organizations because they usually understand the value of women's natural fertility, and are therefore open to our vision of authentic women's health. We also invite or quote experts who share this vision, but are not pro-life.

We invite others to learn more about the work of Natural Womanhood by visiting our website, https://naturalwomanhood.org/. We strongly believe that the message of authentic women's health can be shared across political, cultural, and religious divides, and welcome the opportunity to work with individuals and organizations who share our vision of what truly empowers women and couples to lead happy, healthy lives.

SOURCE Natural Womanhood

CONTACT: Grace Emily Stark, grace@naturalwomanhood.org