The Suppression of Women Reproductive Health
There is a deep and sacred thread that connects women, healers, and the earth—a thread that has been severed time and again throughout history by those who sought to control and dominate.
Through my herbal practice and dedication to being a student of the mystery I honor this ancient lineage of wisdom and acknowledge the generations of women healers who have been silenced, oppressed, and erased.
Today, we are witnessing the fallout of this historical suppression: a healthcare system that prioritizes profit over people, leaves women vulnerable, and strays far from the holistic healing traditions that once thrived.
Let’s journey back in time, untangling the roots of this story, to reclaim the wisdom that has been hidden from us for too long.
Witch Hunts: The Targeting of Women’s Wisdom
In the late Middle Ages, a dark cloud descended over Europe. Under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church and ruling state powers, a campaign began to systematically target women healers. These women—herbalists, midwives, and wise women—were the caretakers of their communities, using plant medicine, energy work, and ancient wisdom to heal and support those around them.
But as the Church sought to consolidate power, these women became scapegoats. The infamous text, Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches), published in 1487, was used as a guide to hunt and execute those deemed to be practicing witchcraft. This was not about superstition—it was a calculated move to strip women of their influence and to destroy the knowledge that had sustained communities for generations. Thousands of women were tortured, executed, or driven into silence. In this frenzy of violence, the sacred art of women’s healing was nearly extinguished.
Colonization: The Erasure of Indigenous Medicine
When European empires like Spain began their colonization of the Americas, they brought with them the same mindset that had fueled the witch hunts. Backed by the Spanish Crown under the guise of the Church, colonizers sought to dominate not just the land, but also the bodies and minds of the indigenous people. Central to this control was the destruction of indigenous healing practices—especially those held by women healers.
Traditional medicine, rooted in a profound connection to the land, was labeled as “primitive” or “pagan.” Indigenous women who practiced midwifery, herbalism, and spiritual healing were often punished or forced to abandon their ways. In the colonizers' quest to erase entire cultures, they attempted to sever the deep relationships between people, plants, and the earth.
This loss was not just cultural; it was a blow to humanity’s collective health and well-being.
The Flexner Report: Institutionalizing Medical Monopolies
The echoes of these historical injustices carried into the 20th century. In 1910, the Flexner Report, funded by the Carnegie Foundation and heavily influenced by the Rockefeller family, was published with the intention of “reforming” medical education in the United States. But this report had a hidden agenda: to establish a monopoly on medicine that favored the pharmaceutical industry and surgery-based approaches, dismissing holistic, plant-based, and indigenous healing systems as “unscientific.”
The result? The closure of numerous medical schools that supported herbalism, midwifery, homeopathy, crania sacral, and naturopathy. Institutions that served women, Black Americans, and practitioners of non-allopathic medicine were systematically shut down. This wasn’t about improving healthcare; it was about controlling it and making money. By prioritizing pharmaceuticals and profit-driven interventions, the Flexner Report laid the foundation for the healthcare system we have today—one that often overlooks the whole person in favor of quick, mechanized solutions.
The Impact on Women’s Reproductive Health
Perhaps nowhere is the fallout of this medical monopoly more apparent than in the realm of women’s reproductive health. Before the rise of the modern medical industry, women and midwives were central to women’s healthcare, offering support during childbirth, providing natural methods of contraception, and guiding women through the complexities of fertility. But as hospitals and male doctors took over the field, women’s bodies became sites of control and profit.
Today, we see the consequences: the United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed nations. The current medical system often forces women into unnecessary interventions—like induced labor and C-sections—without truly considering their well-being. We’ve strayed far from the sacred, intuitive wisdom that once guided women through these life-altering experiences.
Additionally, the suppression of natural methods for contraception and fertility awareness leaves women with limited options, often relying on hormonal birth control with its cascade of side effects.
The ancient knowledge of plants, cycles, and body literacy has been lost in the noise of a healthcare industry focused on quick fixes rather than nurturing the whole being.
In addition to the risks and challenges surrounding medication abortion, there is a widespread lack of knowledge on how to support a natural miscarriage. Historically, midwives and herbalists were the ones who guided women through the painful and often emotionally devastating experience of losing a pregnancy. They provided not only physical support with herbal remedies to ease pain and encourage the body’s natural processes but also offered emotional and spiritual care during this difficult time.
Today, many women who experience a miscarriage are left feeling lost and unsupported. The modern medical system often treats miscarriage as a medical event to be managed swiftly, sometimes with little regard for the emotional and spiritual dimensions of the experience. Many women are advised to undergo a D&C (dilation and curettage) procedure or to take medication to “complete” the miscarriage, without being informed of alternative, gentler methods or given guidance on how to support their bodies naturally.
A Broken Healthcare System: Profit Over People
Today, despite spending more on healthcare than any other country, the United States ranks poorly in health outcomes. The leading causes of death include heart disease, cancer, and shockingly, medical errors. Research suggests that medical errors may cause over 250,000 deaths annually, making them the third leading cause of death in this country. These errors—whether through misdiagnoses, surgical complications, or prescription mistakes—highlight a system that prioritizes speed, efficiency, and profit over genuine patient care.
This is a system designed not to heal but to treat symptoms, often ignoring root causes. The rise of chronic conditions like autoimmune diseases, mental health struggles, and metabolic disorders is a testament to this failure. And at the center of it all, we see a disregard for preventative, holistic approaches that honor the wisdom of the body, mind, and spirit.
The Path Forward: Reclaiming Our Healing Traditions
I truly believe that it’s time to reclaim the healing traditions that were stolen from us. It’s time to reconnect with the earth, to listen to the wisdom of our bodies, and to honor the knowledge that has been passed down through the ages. Here’s how we can begin:
1. Restoring Women’s Healing Practices: Empowering women to reclaim their roles as midwives, herbalists, and healers. Let’s bring birth back to the hands of those who honor it as sacred.
2. Decolonizing Medicine: Listening to and learning from indigenous people and authorized carriers of their medicine.
3. Honoring Holistic Approaches: Emphasizing preventative care, lifestyle changes, and natural remedies that support long-term health and vitality.
4. Uplifting Women’s Reproductive Health: Providing education and support for natural fertility awareness, herbal contraceptives, and holistic gynecology to empower women to take control of their own bodies.
Honoring the Legacy of Healers: Walking the Beauty Path
This journey is about remembering—a deep remembering of who we are and where we come from. It’s about reclaiming the wisdom of our grandmothers, honoring the sacred relationship we have with the earth, and walking the beauty path of healing, rooted in reciprocity and respect.
The legacy of women healers lives on in the bones and blood of all of us. As we rise, we do so with our feet firmly rooted in the earth, drawing upon the deep well of wisdom that has always been ours. It is time to heal ourselves, our communities, and our world by embracing the ancient practices that nurture the body, mind, and spirit.
A Timeline of the Suppression and Reclamation of Women’s Reproductive Health
1400s - 1700s: Witch Hunts in Europe
Late 1400s: The witch hunts begin in Europe, largely driven by the Roman Catholic Church and state authorities. This marks the start of a systematic effort to control women’s knowledge and influence over community health.
1487: The publication of the Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) becomes a widely used manual for hunting, torturing, and executing women accused of witchcraft.
Women herbalists, midwives, and healers are specifically targeted for their deep knowledge of herbal medicine, contraception, fertility, and reproductive health. They are accused of working with the devil, leading to thousands of executions.
1500s - 1700s: As Europe’s population grows and faces social unrest, these witch hunts serve as a way to consolidate power. Women who were once pillars of community health are systematically removed, destroying centuries of plant wisdom and midwifery practices.
1500s - 1800s: Colonization and the Erasure of Indigenous Medicine
Late 1400s - Early 1500s: The Spanish Crown, with the support of the Church, begins the colonization of the Americas. Indigenous women healers are labeled as “witches” or “pagans” for practicing their ancestral medicine.
Indigenous communities that had relied on holistic practices, midwifery, and plant-based healing for thousands of years face violent suppression. Traditional knowledge is forcibly suppressed or lost as colonial powers impose their religious and medical systems.
1600s - 1700s: The Spanish Inquisition extends its reach into the Americas, where it punishes and eradicates-traditional practices, including indigenous healing ceremonies and midwifery. The cultural erasure results in a significant loss of knowledge about natural contraception, pregnancy support, and postpartum care.
1800s: The Professionalization of Male-Dominated Medicine
Early 1800s: Male doctors in Europe and the United States begin to formalize the medical profession. Women, particularly midwives, are pushed out as healthcare becomes more institutionalized.
1847: The American Medical Association (AMA) is founded. It establishes Western allopathic medicine as the dominant system while discrediting and outlawing other healing practices, especially those practiced by women, such as herbalism and midwifery.
During this time, midwives, who traditionally oversaw childbirth and provided reproductive care, are increasingly marginalized. States begin passing laws to regulate and criminalize midwifery, further disempowering women.
1910: The Flexner Report and the Rise of Pharmaceutical Medicine
1910: The Flexner Report, funded by the Carnegie Foundation with significant influence from Rockefeller interests, radically transforms medical education in the United States.
The report deems holistic, herbal, and naturopathic medicine “unscientific.” As a result, nearly half of all medical schools are shut down, especially those that serve women, Black Americans, and practitioners of alternative medicine.
The Flexner Report leads to the closure of many schools that trained midwives, herbalists, and homeopaths, effectively handing control of healthcare to male doctors trained in pharmaceuticals and surgery.
This marks the beginning of a pharmaceutical monopoly, with the Rockefeller family heavily investing in the production of petrochemical-based drugs. Traditional, plant-based remedies are dismissed in favor of patented pharmaceuticals.
1930s - 1950s: The Medicalization of Birth
1930s: Childbirth increasingly moves from homes to hospitals. Male obstetricians take over the birthing process, sidelining midwives and traditional birth attendants.
1940s - 1950s: The use of interventions such as forceps, episiotomies, and later, Cesarean sections becomes routine. Many of these procedures are done without fully informing women of the risks involved.
Women lose autonomy in childbirth, with hospitals emphasizing control and efficiency over the natural process. The result is a medical model that often disregards the emotional and physical needs of birthing mothers.
1960s - 1970s: The Women’s Health Movement
1960s: The introduction of the birth control pill gives women more control over their fertility but creates a dependency on pharmaceuticals with side effects that are not fully understood.
1973: The landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizes abortion in the United States, granting women the right to choose. However, access remains limited for marginalized communities.
The Women’s Health Movement pushes back against the male-dominated medical establishment, advocating for natural childbirth, midwifery, and women’s bodily autonomy. Despite gains, holistic approaches to reproductive health remain on the fringes of mainstream medicine.
1980s - 2000s: The Expansion of Big Pharma
1980s: The pharmaceutical industry becomes a dominant force in healthcare, influencing medical research, education, and policy. Natural approaches to women’s health, such as herbal remedies and fertility awareness, continue to be dismissed as “unscientific.”
1990s - 2000s: The focus shifts toward pharmaceutical solutions for reproductive health issues, including hormonal birth control and hormone replacement therapies, often with little regard for their long-term effects on women’s health.
2010s - 2020s: Renewed Attacks on Reproductive Rights
2010s: A resurgence in holistic health sees more women turning to midwives, doulas, and herbal medicine for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum support.
2022: The U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, stripping away federal protections for abortion rights. This decision leaves millions without access to safe reproductive healthcare, disproportionately affecting marginalized women.
Maternal mortality rates in the United States, particularly for Black and Indigenous women, continue to rise, highlighting the failures of a profit-driven medical system.
The Future: Reclaiming Our Roots and Healing Ourselves
2030s: As distrust in the conventional medical system grows, women turn back to ancestral wisdom. A movement to reclaim midwifery, herbal medicine, and natural fertility awareness gains traction.
Communities establish holistic women’s health centers, focusing on patient education, herbal remedies, and support networks. These centers prioritize preventative care, empowering women to take control of their health.
2040s: A new era of healthcare emerges, blending ancient wisdom with modern science. Women and healers lead the way, fostering a system where birth, fertility, and overall health are treated as sacred processes.
2050s: The widespread embrace of decentralized healthcare models allows families and communities to reclaim autonomy over their bodies. Traditional healing practices flourish alongside modern innovations, creating a more holistic, inclusive, and earth-centered approach to wellness.
