Feminine products not a luxury item
- Mar 22, 2016
- 2 min read
Everyone knows girls and women menstruate, so there is no reason to treat periods as dirty little secrets. However, society still places a taboo on this natural bodily function. This is a persisting stigma that still leaves women feeling uncomfortable discussing menstruation or even needing to go to the bathroom to “take care of business.”
This opinion article was originally featured in PantherNOW and talks about how feminine hygiene products should be provided for free.
Check out the article’s excerpt below and click the link if you want to read the full story!
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Maytinee Kramer/Staff Writer
Everyone knows girls and women menstruate, so there is no reason to treat periods as dirty little secrets. However, society still places a taboo on this natural bodily function. This is a persisting stigma that still leaves women feeling uncomfortable discussing menstruation or even needing to go to the bathroom to “take care of business.” Luckily, a growing number of advocates, entrepreneurs and female lawmakers are challenging the taboo and putting all cards about the subject on the table. Periods should be put squarely on the public agenda and facilities should take menstruation into consideration. One way to do so is to make tampons and pads available in every public bathroom – for free.
Currently, feminine hygiene products are largely inaccessible in the Unites States, despite the access to such products being a basic human right. Still, many citizens do not actually have access to these basic hygiene products. Representative Grace Meng, Democrat of New York, stated that “menstruation is something women cannot control,” adding that she had heard reports about homeless women not having access to basic products. “Menstrual products should not be treated as luxury items.
According to The Washington Post, all but five states have imposed a tax – either a regular sales tax, or gross receipts tax or luxury tax – on female sanitary products. Sanitary products are essential and an expected part of life. Anywhere you go, properly caring for your health and hygiene is not optional. Making sure you’re covered can really add up financially and with the imposition of a “luxury tax,” the burden is only increased. However, most states don’t tax on essential items like groceries, including candy and sugary drinks.
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Photo Credit: Maytinee Kramer
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