HEALTH

Wellness

In the news: Michigan Representative banned after saying "vagina"

Two weeks ago, Representative Lisa Brown delivered a speech before her fellow state politicians. The Michigan House of Representatives then banned Brown from speaking. Why? She used the word “vagina.”

The press secretary for the house speaker blasted Brown’s use of the anatomically correct word as “inappropriate and uncivilized.” A male representative from another state declared that the word was “so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women.”

When did vagina become a 4-letter word? After all, about half of the population has one. But even tampon commercials avoid the word, replacing it with “down there” or cutesy names like “va-jay-jay.” Think about it: when’s the last time a grown man referred to his “wee-wee”?

If we feel too uncomfortable to even say “vagina,” how can we expect anyone to take women’s health issues seriously?

What do you think? Was Representative Brown’s use of the word “vagina” inappropriate?

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