Dear Neighbor,
On Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed my bill to provide free disposable menstrual products in prisons, homeless shelters, and public schools "in a convenient manner that does not stigmatize any persons seeking such products."
We also passed a bill to ensure that pregnant and postpartum mothers and birthing people get necessary and potentially life-saving health care by extending MassHealth insurance coverage to 12 months after pregnancy. This benefit is for all Massachusetts residents, regardless of immigration status.
STRONG COALITION LEADING THIS EFFORT
MassNOW, with the amazing leadership of Sasha Goodfriend, built the Mass. Menstrual Equity Coalition of over 70 organizations and hundreds of activists.
So many young people, particularly high school students, took leadership. All over the state, students organized drives to provide products in their high schools and asked their legislators to support legislation. (on right, a 2019 rally at Boston City Hall)
STUDENTS LEAD THE WAY
Students from all over the state, from Brookline to Belchertown, have become activists in this movement. (on left, a September 2021 rally at the State House)
Access to menstrual products is not something I thought about until I went to a meeting of teenagers in Somerville. A team of girls was trying to get Somerville High to place free menstrual products in restrooms. They talked about how if their period started during school they didn’t have time to rush to the nurse’s office and then to the restroom between classes. They talked about being embarrassed to ask for a pass. They said sometimes they missed class or school because they didn’t have products with them. Now, Somerville provides free menstrual products.
Soon after that, I saw a huge poster in a Medford High classroom: “Free the Pad.” It was part of a multi-year effort by students in the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility program to raise money to place free products in their school restrooms. One of those students, Melina McGovern, testified before the Education Committee on a similar bill, and helped convince the committee to give it a favorable report. The Medford school system will soon provide free products.
In the first years of menstruating, periods can be irregular and heavy. Students told us about getting their periods unexpectedly. They might go to the nurse's office: 17% of school nurses say they pay for tampons and pads for students with their own money. We don't expect school nurses to purchase toilet paper for the whole school; why should we expect them to pay for menstrual products?
If there aren't products in the nurse's office, students may have to go home, call their parents to bring them supplies, or be embarrassed when they bleed through their clothes. Half of Massachusetts school nurses report students missing class due to not having period products.
Students' efforts have led Belchertown, Boston, Cambridge, Holliston, Medford, and Somerville to make free products available. In Brookline and Framingham, products are available in all public buildings. In Fall River, a grant from DHCD will make free products available in schools, shelters and community centers. In many other schools and colleges, students raise money to purchase products, or collect donations, and place them in restrooms. There are likely many local programs we don't know about.
NOT JUST SCHOOLS
This bill is concerned also with people in shelters and incarcerated people.
By definition, people in shelter don't have a lot of disposable income. Availability in shelters is unpredictable: 25% of shelters don't provide products at all, and most of the rest rely on donations. This can make it hard for someone to leave for necessary appointments if they don't have a supply of products. People experiencing homelessness report infections caused by using tampons and pads for too long, or by improvising with items such as paper towels or newspapers.
Access to products in prisons is also varied and unreliable. Menstuators may have to ask male guards, who may not know they're entitled to products.
A GROWING MOVEMENT
In recent years, at least 12 other states have passed laws to ensure free access to menstrual products in schools. Many states' laws provide for free products in prisons. Recently, Illinois passed legislation for free products in shelters.
Our bill is the most comprehensive.
Once you start thinking about it, the need seems obvious. As the coalition says, "Non-menstruating people go into a bathroom expecting their bodily needs to be met - this is not the case for menstruators."
One of the cosponsors was reproached by a constituent, who asked, "Why don't the girls just bring their own pads?" My colleague responded, "Do you carry your own toilet paper?"
The reason this is now being seen as an issue is that new generations are refusing to think of themselves and their bodies as shameful and embarrassing. They are saying words out loud that used to be hidden by euphemisms, and they’re talking about needs that were unrecognized because they weren’t named. (on left, poster for an art show at the State House)
You can learn more about the international movement from Anita Diamond's book, Period. End of Sentence. That's also the title of an Academy Award-winning movie about women in India. On the right, some euphemisms from around the world in an excerpt from the book.
HISTORICAL NOTE
Passing this bill was a great way to begin Women’s History Month and end Black History Month.
Mary Kenner was a Black inventor who received five patents. In 1956 she received a patent for an adjustable sanitary belt. A company sent a representative to meet her, but abandoned their interest when they discovered that she was Black.
Mary Kenner never made a cent from the sanitary belt, because her patent expired and became public domain. Other companies then manufactured it freely.
We've come a long way. This bill is another step toward equity and public health. I'm grateful to the many people who have taught me so much.
FORWARD TO THE HOUSE
The bill now heads to the House, where lead sponsors Representatives Christine Barber and Jay Livingstone will have the support of over 50 cosponsors. Rep. Jeff Roy's similar bill, to provide products in schools, has already received preliminary approval in the House, and the bills may be combined.
Stay safe and stay in touch,