This summer, Georgetown University hosted a meeting, organized by Vicki Thorn, founder of the National Office for Post Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, entitled Contraceptive Conundrum: A Symposium of Scientific Research. 

But slapping the word "scientific" on the event title does not ensure a balanced, accurate discussion of data. 

​​Thorn provided this rationale for the conference: "The research is showing over and over that oral contraception is simply not good medicine, but this is motivated by the agendas of population control and controlling our bodies chemically."

As an epidemiologist with knowledge in contraceptive safety research, who attended the symposium with an open mind, I do not think a compelling case for Thorn's statement was made. Nonetheless, students and laypeople in attendance might have been misled with misinformation being metaphorically paraded around in a lab coat.

While a tiny minority of the speakers delivered credible, scientific presentations, the meeting as a whole was not a “scientific symposium”: it included several low scientific quality presentations; materials distributed contained poorly-balanced content; there was a lack of invited speakers with specific expertise in contraceptive research; and the organizers made several inaccurate remarks which were further promoted on Twitter.

In this Storify (update: Storify website is no longer, but click the link below to download a copy of the content that was in the Storify - apologies for imperfect formatting), I review many of the Tweets from and about this conference, which lacked a sincere attempt to strive towards objectivity. I hope it helps to advance the call for more honest, accurate discussions on the risks and benefits of various contraceptive options, so that we can ensure true informed consent, and better support happier, healthier women and couples.