In this episode we delve into weight stigma and size bias in health systems. We dispel some myths that equate a person’s body size with their health, and explore how nurses can mitigate the harms of these assumptions through research and practice.

We are joined by two nurse-midwives who research, write, and practice at this intersection: Dr. Ellen Solis and Elizabeth Muñoz.

Dr. Ellen Solis, DNP, CNM, FACNM (she/her) is a Teaching Professor at the University of Washington and the specialty director of the nurse-midwifery program and the Graduate Certificate in Sexual and Reproductive Health (GCSRH) and is the co-director of the UW-ACTIONS (Abortion Care Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars) program. She is also a practicing nurse-midwife in Seattle and the board secretary of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health. As a midwife, and educator, Ellen is committed to centering the voices of her clients, students, and colleagues—especially those from BIPOC and queer communities—and working towards increasing their voices in healthcare, education, and policy development.

Elizabeth Muñoz, DNP, CNM, FACNM (she/her) is a Certified Nurse-Midwife with experience in midwifery education, scholarship, and clinical practice. She is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, TN. Her scholarship activities include integrating nurse-midwifery models of care in rural Alabama through the AL MOMS HRSA Grant at UAB School of Nursing, preventing size-bias in those providing pregnancy care, and innovation in nurse-midwifery clinical education. Dr. Muñoz is also passionate about improving access to full-scope midwifery care and expanding public knowledge about midwifery, including deepening the understanding that midwives can lead the charge for practice change in various settings.

Resources (to link in episode description)

Health at Every Size® (HAES®) Principles – ASDAH

Plus Size Birth

Plus Mommy Podcast

Evidence Based Birth® Podcast

The Fat Studies Reader Edited by Esther Rothblum and Sondra Solovay; Foreword by Marilyn Wann

Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings

Asia Brown, a nursing student at Emory, co-founded a nonprofit called 601 for Period Equity, to promote menstrual equity and mitigate period shame in the Black community. Asia leads the nonprofit’s community pantry, Rosie's Pantry, which distributes essential hygiene products, diapers, and menstrual supplies to families in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Asia’s work in period equity and reproductive justice has garnered national attention, with features in The New York Times and NBC News. Asia has also served as a speaker and panelist for organizations such as CVS Health and Girls, Inc., where she continues to advocate for the intersection of healthcare access and social justice. Asia recently completed the Karen Edlund Future Nurse Leader Fellowship - a fellowship that Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health runs annually, for nursing students of color who are leaders in sexual and reproductive health.

In today’s episode we talk about period poverty, menstrual equity, and the importance of expansive advocacy efforts that include and uplift Southern, Black, rural communities.

Be sure to check out Asia’s nonprofit 601 for Period Equity and to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Omisade Burney-Scott (she/her) is a Black southern 7th generation native North Carolinian feminist, social justice advocate and creative with decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and social justice. She is the Creator of the Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause, a multimedia culture and narrative shift reproductive justice project.

In today’s episode we dive into the menopausal multiverse. We talk about how to start conversations about aging and menopause in both clinical and personal spaces, and how to ensure these conversations center justice, inclusivity, and people’s lived experiences.
Be sure to check out the Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause podcast, socials, and zines: Messages from the Menopausal Multiverse and The Motherboard.

In this digital abortion suppression conversation, NSRH spoke to Martha Dimitratou, who works with several media advocacy groups like Women on Web, Plan C Pills, and Repro Uncensored.

The politicization of abortion at the hands of those in power has created numerous barriers to our ability to seek our reliable and accurate information. Repro Uncensored is a coalition of reproductive health and internet freedom organizations dedicated to combating digital censorship and suppression. Their mission is to ensure that everyone can access information about sexual and reproductive healthcare whenever they need it.

RU works closely with advocacy organizations, researchers, creatives, reproductive healthcare providers, and digital rights advocates to promote the free flow of medically accurate abortion information, free from restrictions and the fear of censorship by Big Tech platforms.

In this episode, Martha Dimitratou walks us through the formation of this coalition and dives into the some of the ongoing projects that fight against the suppression of abortion related information and tools! Martha also approached her work through an international lens, recognizing that the struggle against Big Tech doesn’t exist in a vacuum. She draws inspiration from our ability to work collectively across the globe.

A'magine is a sexuality educator, speaker, writer, film-maker, and Gynecological Teaching Associate (GTA). Her award-winning film At Your Cervix, examines patient consent and bodily autonomy in gynecology and medical education, aiming to end unethical practices that harm both patients and medical students.

In this episode, we talk about consent in pelvic care, trauma-informed patient interactions, and steps towards improving ethics in medical education.

Content Warning: Today's episode describes medical sexual assault. Please be sure to take care of yourself in consuming this content, and to step away as needed.

A’magine has been teaching and speaking about feminism and sexuality for over two decades, including her TEDx talk “Owning Your Sexual Power.” She is author of ⁠Woman on Fire: Nine Elements to Wake up Your Erotic Energy, Personal Power and Sexual Intelligence⁠ and co-author of the best-selling classic ⁠Lesbian Sex Secrets for Men⁠. She is committed to helping people have hard conversations and take the steps that lead to liberation.

Find out more at atyourcervixmovie.com and amaginenation.com.

Want to learn more about the history of reproductive (in)justices in nursing? Check out our course on the Online Institute: "RJ in Nursing."

Dr. DeShawn Taylor (MD) is a physician-activist whose work as an abortion provider in Arizona is deeply informed by her Christian faith. In her recent book, Undue Burden, she describes what it means to be a Black, Pro-Abortion, Christian doctor. She explores myths around pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting and interrogates faith amidst extremism and attacks on reproductive justice within U.S. healthcare systems. She envisions an “empowered future” where all people can access comprehensive, culturally-responsive, and antiracist reproductive health care irrespective of their particular “circumstances or zip code.”

Want to read Undue Burden? ⁠Purchase a copy here⁠, and use this discount code from Dr. Taylor: NSRH24

Check out Dr. Taylor's website and instagram to learn more.

In this episode we’re joined by Heather Adams, a resident of NSRH’s Abortion Nursing Corps program. Heather is a family planning and ICU registered nurse with 10+ years of experience traveling in hospitals and clinics. Heather was matched with Trust Women in Wichita, Kansas in 2023 and decided to extend her time there by another 8 weeks!

She speaks to her experience, passion for providing abortion care, and the importance of travel abortion nursing programs in a post Roe political landscape. Tune in to hear a first-hand perspective of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health’s Abortion Nursing Corps program. Check out our website to learn more and inquire about the next application cycle.

In this episode, Kelley Dennings with the Center for Biological Diversity speaks on the intersection of environmental and reproductive justice!

“Toxic chemicals can disrupt fertility and sperm counts and make it harder to avoid unplanned pregnancies due to changes in your menstrual cycle, causing at least the fertility awareness based method to be problematic, but other forms of birth control sometimes too can become unreliable. Environmental harm can cause high risk pregnancies, miscarriages, birth defects, preterm birth, low birth weight and can lead to breast cancer or difficulty breast and chest feeding.”

Tune in to learn more about Kelley’s work and check out the Center for Biological Diversity’s film screening series: https://bit.ly/EH-RHfilms2023! You can also check out NSRH’s webinar, “Environmental Justice: Impact on Reproductive Health & Justice,” on our Online Institute!