For the past 15 years, my team and I have worked for menstrual equity in rural India. We’ve seen the damage and danger that can be done to the mental and physical health, education, livelihood, and dignity of menstruators when they aren't armed with the right information and tools to manage their periods. We break the cycle of stigmas around periods with our award-winning Asani Sanitary Napkin Program, which trains women in India to manufacture and distribute quality sanitary napkins throughout their communities. But recently, there have been so many attacks on menstrual equity right here in the United States.
It all started in October 2022, when, under the guise of health, a Florida coach was trying to compel his student athletes to report their menstrual cycles. But in a state where abortions are illegal, this could lead to non-medical professionals making assumptions about a woman's reproductive health. In February, we saw the introduction of a bill in Virginia trying to force tech companies to allow menstrual data to be subpoenaed. Both measures are reckless for so many reasons, but at the core, these laws violate the fifth amendment rights for bleeders; its authors and supporters are forcing women to incriminate themselves in states where abortion is illegal. There are several other bills of similar design that specifically focus on menstruation in order to control women.
