Currently, women are unable to use food stamps to buy feminine hygiene products. Menstruation is not a choice. Women who qualify for food stamps under the current SNAP program should be able to use them to purchase feminine hygiene products. Girls and women miss school and work because they lack the necessary supplies. Poor feminine hygiene has been linked to many serious health issues. As a progressive country, it is important that we work to eliminate the taboos associated with menstruation and show women that they are valued in this society by providing them with the security and confidence to attend work and school by fulfilling their basic needs. In a society that strives for equality, we are doing a disservice to women and girls who do
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This is a problem that should be solved by the government alone. SNAP is federally funded and this would be an easy adjustment that would make a tremendous impact.
Dominique Amiotte is a 17-year-old high school student at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She told The Huffington Post that about half of her female friends cannot afford feminine hygiene supplies causing them to miss school for up to a week at a time. The author of the article, Eleanor Goldberg, writes that “This can lead them to fall behind in class, contributing to the already abysmal graduation rates on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.” This is just one of the many stories of female students across the country who cannot utilize their educations to the fullest …show more content…
According to their website, Support the Girls “collects and distributes donations of new/used bras and new sealed packages of tampons and maxi pads to homeless women and girls across North America (and in 4 locations worldwide).” Their motto is “A woman shouldn’t have to choose between feeding herself and her personal health.” They have collected and distributed over 1,100,000 menstrual hygiene products. An interest group called Jewish Women International has worked with Support the Girls to provide seminars and information to their supporters. Helping Women Period. is another non-profit with a similar goal, wanting “to provide menstrual products to homeless or low-income people” in the United States. These organizations have given up on waiting around for the federal government to make this change and have taken it upon themselves to distribute free menstrual products. However, while their efforts are tremendously beneficial, these organizations cannot help every woman the way the government could. While these organizations have a powerful impact, SNAP is a more direct way of reaching most of our women living in poverty. SNAP is a federal program and while some states have removed the tax on feminine hygiene products, the federal government has not made any
This is a problem that should be solved by the government alone. SNAP is federally funded and this would be an easy adjustment that would make a tremendous impact.
Dominique Amiotte is a 17-year-old high school student at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She told The Huffington Post that about half of her female friends cannot afford feminine hygiene supplies causing them to miss school for up to a week at a time. The author of the article, Eleanor Goldberg, writes that “This can lead them to fall behind in class, contributing to the already abysmal graduation rates on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.” This is just one of the many stories of female students across the country who cannot utilize their educations to the fullest …show more content…
According to their website, Support the Girls “collects and distributes donations of new/used bras and new sealed packages of tampons and maxi pads to homeless women and girls across North America (and in 4 locations worldwide).” Their motto is “A woman shouldn’t have to choose between feeding herself and her personal health.” They have collected and distributed over 1,100,000 menstrual hygiene products. An interest group called Jewish Women International has worked with Support the Girls to provide seminars and information to their supporters. Helping Women Period. is another non-profit with a similar goal, wanting “to provide menstrual products to homeless or low-income people” in the United States. These organizations have given up on waiting around for the federal government to make this change and have taken it upon themselves to distribute free menstrual products. However, while their efforts are tremendously beneficial, these organizations cannot help every woman the way the government could. While these organizations have a powerful impact, SNAP is a more direct way of reaching most of our women living in poverty. SNAP is a federal program and while some states have removed the tax on feminine hygiene products, the federal government has not made any