Avital Norman Nathman

Avital Norman Nathman is a freelance writer whose work – which places a feminist lens on a variety of topics including motherhood, maternal health, gender, and reproductive rights – has been featured in Bitch magazine, Cosmopolitan, Every Mother Counts, The New York Times, CNN, and more. Avital writes the weekly feminist parenting column, “Mommie Dearest,” for The Frisky and The Mamafesto column for SheKnows.com. Her first book, The Good Mother Myth: Redefining Motherhood To Fit Reality, came out in January 2014 from Seal Press. She is currently working on her second book on the “Perfect Birth Myth.”

Teen Motherhood: When “Reality TV” Doesn’t Fully Reflect Reality

The media has recently latched on to the idea of the “teen mom,” elevating her to star status—both in dramas and on reality TV. These shows feature teen pregnancy, but they do so in an unrealistic way that fetishizes and glamorizes it. The stories of the girls I spoke with at The Care Center are much different from the ones shown in half-hour snippets on TV and splashed across tabloid magazines.

Global Roundup: China Works Toward Remedying Gender Imbalance; One Step Closer to Creating Male Contraceptive Pill in UK

Weekly global roundup: Chinese government works toward remedying population gender imbalance; Jordan is seeing some progress in family planning and reproductive health; With the discovery of a new gene, the UK is one step closer to creating a male contraceptive pill; Cultural and traditional beliefs are road blocks toward healthy family planning in Rwanda.

My Surprise Conversation with a Congresswoman

A lot of the discussion surrounding women’s health and reproductive rights can certainly be boiled down to trust…both the lack of trust and mistrust in women. Hearings like the one last week and bills like the one in Virginia are symptomatic of a larger issue that Congresswoman DeLauro is noticing.