The University of Idaho Women’s Center blog removed a post from contributor Victoria Dilone regarding eugenics and hormonal birth control on Nov. 20, according to a reposted article from Dec. 4.
The dispute between Dilone and the Women’s Center resulted in attention from national media outlets. Conservative outlet Breitbart News reported on the controversy Tuesday.
In the blog, Dilone criticized the origins of the birth control pill, writing, “There are many reasons why I oppose the birth control pill, but its unethical and eugenic past is one that I think most people should agree on.”
UI Director of Communications Jodi Walker issued a statement from the university.
“The handling of this blog has brought to the university’s attention a need to re-evaluate how the Women’s Center, as part of the University of Idaho, manages its blog site,” according to the statement. “The issues discussed on this site are important.”
Dilone said she was notified over email about the removal of her post from Lysa Salsbury, director of the Women’s Center.
“On more than one occasion, your personal views have been in direct conflict with one of the fundamental principles and tenets of feminism — that of choice,” Salsbury wrote in a Nov. 20 email to Dilone.
Dilone uploaded her original post the same day, entitled “The Birth Control Pill: An Unethical and Eugenic History,” on her own blog website.
When the Women’s Center re-posted the article on Dec. 4, blog administrators explained the initial removal of the post was due to an error. No additional changes were made to the post once it had been reuploaded, Dilone said.
“The topic of the blog article was changed at the last minute and the normal processes for posting the article were not all followed due to the Thanksgiving break. However, removing the article because of this was an error and we are putting the article back up on the blog,” according to the statement on the website.
The National Students for Life of America blog posted a story Dec. 2 regarding the removal of Dilone’s blog post, along with other problems between Dilone and Salsbury.
“The University of Idaho is in Moscow, Idaho, but the authoritarian mindset of the Women’s Center director fits better with Moscow, USSR,” wrote Matt Lamb, author of the blog.
According to Dilone, Salsbury barred her from addressing any “hot button” issues in her final two blog posts, which will be completed in accordance to her internship with the Women’s Center. In a Nov. 15 email, Salsbury said readers would “not accept or be comfortable with” Dilone’s idea to write about diversity of Pro-Life movements.
“While all this has been frustrating, I am thankful to the Women’s Center for giving me the opportunity to write for them in the first place,” Dilone said. “I don’t want to vilify the Women’s Center or the university. I just wanted my voice to be equally represented, and the Women’s Center has taken the steps to do so by reposting my blog post.”
Salsbury declined to comment for this story.
This article was updated to include a statment from UI.
Kali Nelson and Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected]