California is in the process of pushing a law that requires low-income schools to provide free menstrual products. According to USA Today, the law is called Menstrual Equity for All Act. It will require “public schools with grades 6 through 12 to stock 50% of bathrooms with free period products by the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, expanding upon a 2017 law that required the same in low-income schools.”

We did not get a choice in what gender we all are. Why should women have to pay for products for something we have no control over when condoms are a choice and are given away for free? This is why all schools nationwide should be providing students with free period products.

“I definitely believe that schools should provide pads and tampons free of charge because they are an essential product,” said health teacher Ms. Henderson. “Similar to how we provide soap, how we provide toilet paper, how we provide bandaids for when you get a cut or an ice pack, I feel like pads and tampons fall in the same category.”

There are plenty of students around the world that miss school because they cannot afford the products they need for their periods. According to The Washington Post, studies have shown that in New Zealand, “one of the things stopping […] young people from going to school is an issue called period poverty, […] One in 12 of [their] students possibly miss school because they don’t have access to period products.”

According to swns.com, the average cost that women spend on menstrual products per month is $13.50. That’s not counting the women who have daughters living with them. Women could be saving a significant amount of more money if period products were free not only in school, but in general. 

“Menstrual products are not cheap, and with this pandemic a lot of prices have gone up and not everyone can afford them,” said senior Brianna Repress. “We all have had mishaps with our menstrual cycles at school, so not being able to find any products to help us out can be very stressful. It’s not our fault that we get these cycles every month, so there should at least be a little bit of compensation towards that.”

Plenty of girls in school have had a mishap with their period in school. Girls shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed about a natural thing, but most girls are. Some girls are teased or ashamed  when having to ask for a pad/tampon. If school bathrooms provided free menstrual cycle products, girls wouldn’t have to go through these situations. 

Health care plays a big role in all of our lives. All people should be provided with the best care they can get. 

“Health care is a right, not a privilege for every person and menstruation products are a part of health care, so therefore they should be available for anyone who needs them,” said  Ms.Henderson.