HEALTH EDUCATION IS NOT A PRIVILEGE. IT’S A HUMAN RIGHT. Gender inequality happens in more places than we realize—even in prison. Women’s prisons are systematically banning women’s health books on the basis that the images within are “pornographic.” And men’s prisons are not facing the same injustice. Incarcerated women are left to decipher what’s happening to their bodies, putting them at higher risk of dying from preventable and treatable conditions. That’s why we created Contrabanned: the first women’s health textbook to be legally smuggled into prison. To get around prison censors, Contrabanned is mailed, letter by letter, into prisons. Each “letter” equates to 4 pages of the book. Because the process of assembling Contrabanned was integral to the mission, we needed to ensure it could be done with supplies accessible to prison inmates. That’s why we kept the zine culture of prison in mind. Zines originated in the 1930s as self-published magazines by sci-fi fans and have since evolved into a DIY art form encompassing the avant-garde. Given restrictions on reading materials in prisons, they’ve also become a popular way to distribute uncensored information. This was something important to consider when thinking through how to disseminate this vital information to incarcerated women. Using toothpicks to poke holes, inmates saddle-stitched Contrabanned using dental floss (sold at commissaries in 6-inch lengths to prevent strangulation). Contrabanned is written to directly address the health concerns of incarcerated women. As 70% of these women can’t read at a fourth-grade level, health-literacy experts contributed their time to write about health behind bars in an accessible way, providing incarcerated women with the vital education they need not only for self-care but even to save their lives. “Thank you for being one of none, who actually cares about our right to have knowledge about our bodies.” –Inmate [name redacted for safety]   Within a few weeks of launch, our petition to make Contrabanned the first nationally accepted women’s health book in prisons received over 100,000 signatures, social reach of the Prison Library Project increased by more than 670%, and the launch video for Contrabanned was viewed over 20,000 times.    Because we don’t only want to give incarcerated women tools to advocate for their health—we want our country to stop viewing women’s bodies as contraband.