Twenty-five public schools in Queens, New York are taking part in a new program that will provide free tampons and pads for attending students. This program was the invention of Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, who also is currently working on a resolution to call the State Legislature to stop taxing tampons and pads. The argument behind movement comes from the fact that New York does not tax things like condoms, groceries, or prescriptions, but does tax women’s sanitary products.
“Menstrual Equity”, or the idea that calls for tampons and pads to be treated as untaxed necessities, like toilet paper, isn’t just an idea gaining headway in New York. California assemblywoman Cristina Garcia introduced a bill that would remove the sales tax from tampons and pads in her state. Garcia was quoted as saying, “Basically we are being taxed for being women…” Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang, who co-authored the bill, was quoted as saying, “Government is taxing women for something that is totally out of their control. Feminine hygiene is not a choice and should not be taxed.” The debate goes even further on discussing whether women’s sanitary products should be unlimited in prisons, homeless shelters and covered under flexible spending accounts.Â
It seems clear that this debate has only just begun and may soon become another facet of the feminist movement and a sign of the subtle instances of unfairness towards women that happen in everyday life. Whether you think feminine hygiene products should be free or just not taxed, I believe that every woman who has ever experienced menstruation can tell you, without a doubt, that tampons and pads are a necessity. Perhaps removing the tax would show woman that their gender shouldn’t be an economic burden or that wanting to be comfortable and sanitary while on their periods isn’t a luxury.