A New York congresswoman is pushing a bill for “menstrual equity”
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 19: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
activist Jen Huls stands dressed as a tampon outside of Columbia
University during a protest October 19, 2004 in New York. PETA
staged a protest alleging that Columbia researchers are conducting
cruel menstrual tests on primates and subjecting them to painful
conditions. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat of New York’s 6th District is tired of all the period shaming happening in today’s society. That’s why she is seeking to pass a bill called the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2017 (H.R. 972). According to her, there is a serious problem with “menstrual equity” in our country, or so she writes in an article in Marie Claire.
Meng focuses on a few issues regarding feminine menstrual products, and their difficulty to access for women such as those who are homeless, and at least one lawsuit in Michigan where female prisoners in a county jail were forced to split five menstrual pads between their cell mates. To fix this, Meng’s legislation would do five things, which she lists on her congressional website.
Direct the Secretary of Labor to require employers with 100 or
more employees to provide menstrual hygiene products to their
employees free of charge.
While some may see her point about the lack of adequate products in prison, many would take issue with the fact that her bill would force employers with larger businesses to provide menstrual products to their female employees for free. More than that, that her bill would require taxpayer dollars be handed over to provide these products for the homeless, and tax credits for low income workers. Meng holds that this is necessary, however, as women will spend a grand total of $2,500 on menstrual products of her entire lifetime, and so action needs to be taken by both male and female legislators to “support this important bill.” According to her, this bill already has 21 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats, including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
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