Our Laws Shame Women For Having Periods! ‘Menstrual Equity’ Bill

Did you know that there are girls who skip school when they get their periods? If they can’t afford pads or tampons and don’t want anyone to see they’ve stained their clothes, they may feel like they have no choice. That’s not just something that happens in developing countries. It happens right here in the United States. Right in my home district of Queens, New York.

Yep! This happens all over America every single day… Oh boy! I keep waking up in the twilight zone. Is this a joke?!

Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee regarding menstrual equity. Meet Rep. Grace Meng. She’s the representative for New York’s 6th District (yep, New York. That’s always a good indication of cray, as far as lawmakers go). She’s currently doing super important things, like fighting for menstrual equity. Not joking. She’s actually pushing H.R. 972, also known as the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2017.

"We cannot stop until we reach real menstrual equity for women and girls everywhere." —@RepGraceMeng https://t.co/eYXgbdaQa2

— Women's March (@womensmarch) February 20, 2017

The Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2017 was born. It would essentially do five things, which are listed on her website:

1. Allow individuals to buy menstrual hygiene products with money they contribute to their flexible spending accounts.
2. Provide a refundable tax credit to low-income individuals who regularly use menstrual hygiene products.
3. Allow grant funds from the Emergency Food and Shelter Grant Program, which can be used by homeless assistance providers for essential household items, to be used for menstrual hygiene products.
4. Require each state to provide menstrual hygiene products to female inmates and detainees, at no cost and on demand, as a condition of receiving funds from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
5. Direct the Secretary of Labor to require employers with 100 or more employees to provide menstrual hygiene products to their employees free of charge.

This isn’t empowering. This is humiliating. Women are so weak and fragile and helpless that we need the freaking government to pay for our periods? No. -Chicks On The Right