National Geographic’s Instagram Post on Birth Control Backfired Spectacularly
Last week, National Geographic, which typically concerns itself with environmental causes, Earth sciences, and the animal kingdom, weighed in on why women shouldn’t fear hormonal birth control — and it backfired spectacularly.
The post claimed that hormonal birth control can not only prevent pregnancy but can also “help make periods lighter and less painful” and can lower the risk of an ectopic pregnancy. The post stated that there is no evidence to suggest that “the pill” can lead to “significant weight gain.” Finally, National Geographic stated that only “about 1 in 3,000 women taking the pill will develop a blood clot,” and risks are “extremely rare.”
“Blood clot formation, medically known as thrombosis, also occurs in ‘about 9 to 12 out of 10,000 women who regularly take a birth control pill containing desogestrel, gestodene or drospirenone,’ and ‘about 5 to 7 out of 10,000 women who regularly take a birth control pill containing levonorgestrel or norgestimate.'”
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Thousands of women flooded the post’s comments section to rebuke the magazine company, which expanded to include environmentally-focused documentaries, podcasts, and television episodes. “What is going on here,” one user commented. “It feels very weird for Nat Geo (National Geographic) to go there.”
“Are we going to address how it’s classified as a group 1 carcinogen? Or is that part not important?” another wrote. Several women called it “cringy” and “out of place” that the magazine company felt comfortable doing big pharmaceutical companies’ bidding and providing misleading information to thousands of women.
“What does any of this have to do with National Geographic?” another user questioned. “Are we promoting a population control agenda as part of ‘protecting the Earth’? Could you be a bit less obvious about it? Hope the ESG (environmental, social, governance) cash was worth it.”
Hormonal contraceptives are classified as a group one carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Similar to fertility hormone treatments, birth control introduces large quantities of synthetic hormones into the body, increasing the probability that a woman will develop cancer.
Several other side effects have been anecdotally documented by thousands of women over several years of hormonal contraceptive use. Lower fertility, decreased mood, heightened risk for autoimmune diseases, and the depletion of key nutrients are all known and well-studied side effects of taking the pill.
So why are so many large news outlets and supposedly environmentally-centered magazines attempting to run cover for the drug regimen?
Well, as one user pointed out in the comments of National Geographic’s Instagram post, “Disney bought [the company] out. Disney is owned by two major firms who also own a majority of big pharma.” The simplified version explained in the comment is pretty spot on.
A vast majority of National Geographic shares are owned by The Walt Disney Company. Disney’s primary shareholders include investment giants Vanguard Group, Inc. and BlackRock Fund Advisors. Both firms own majority shares in pharmaceutical companies Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Inc., and Merck & Co. These investment firms have stakes in several other companies within the pharmaceutical industry as well.
Thousands of women in the comments of National Geographic’s post shared their own negative experiences after being prescribed hormonal birth control from a young age for a variety of reasons from acne to painful period cramps. The general consensus reached by Instagram users was clear: National Geographic should stick to reporting on the environment.
