Take action to help girls in Pa.
In October, we helped organize the first ever #NationalPeriodDay. Collectively, we hosted 60 rallies in 50 states and four countries including planning a rally in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. United with activists, elected officials, menstrual hygiene companies and other stakeholders, our demands were twofold: to end period poverty by extending access to free period products in all schools, shelters and prisons; and to eliminate the tampon tax that’s still on the books in 33 states.
While we’ve made significant progress, our work is ongoing. Many politicians have endorsed what we and student activists know — that all over the world, people with periods endure educational barriers, social limitations and economic challenges.
A new study, State of the Period, commissioned by Thinx and PERIOD, has illuminated a hidden-in-plain-sight reality: Students in the U.S. face considerable barriers in accessing menstrual hygiene products, so much that more than 84% of students have missed class, or know someone who has, because they didn’t have period products. A staggering 1 in 5 students have struggled to afford period products or were unable to purchase them at all. The conclusion is clear: Period poverty, defined by an inability to access period products, is a widespread epidemic impacting millions of young people in the U.S. alone.
Young girls are being deeply impacted by this issue. That is why here in Pennsylvania, we intend to do something about period poverty and access. Recently, Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-Exton, introduced Pennsylvania House Bill 1708, which would require all Pennsylvania schools to put free period products in their girls restrooms for grades 6-12. We are currently lobbying the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass this measure. We are calling on the Pennsylvania Legislature to pass the bill and for Gov. Tom Wolf to sign it into law.
Countless people across our commonwealth experience period poverty, and the ripple effect is undeniable. We are challenging our community not only to talk about periods openly and honestly, but also to enact local policies that uplift and support all bodies.
CLARE DELLA VALLE
and ISABEL LAM Founders and Co-presidents of PERIOD at Abington Heights High School
Philadelphia, Pa.