Why Pa. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman should approve a bill on menstrual hygiene

The world saw shortages of many products during the pandemic, but one shortage, in particular, sparked outcry from women across the U.S.: tampons.

The supply chain’s inability to provide this necessity triggered a new wave in the menstrual movement, leading to the recent passage of House Bill 850 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The bill is now moving forward to the state Senate, where its success hinges on Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman’s approval.

Menstrual hygiene products are a necessity. HB 850 allows recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to purchase menstrual products with those benefits. In our region, the stakes could not be higher. Nearly two million Pennsylvanians were using SNAP benefits as of September 2022; in Philadelphia, between 450,000 and 500,000 people receive these benefits.

The bill will help those who suffer from period poverty, or the inability to afford menstrual products. Period poverty is a health crisis that disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities, but the voices of these people are not the ones we are hearing.

To understand the impact of HB 850, I recently visited The SPOT Period, a menstrual hub and uterine wellness center in Germantown, which distributes free period products to people in need. I spoke with the women and girls who were picking up products.

One woman told me she works 12- to 16-hour shifts as a warehouse shipper. She bleeds through one tampon an hour and is unable to afford the number of products she needs. “When you are dealing with your period, what job can you work?” she said. “I need to make the money, but I need to accommodate my period, and I can’t be walking around with stains.”

The lack of access to affordable menstrual products can turn periods from something natural into something debilitating. Women in such circumstances resort to socks, newspapers, and T-shirts in lieu of true menstrual products. One young mother told me that when her mother died, friends and family supported her in many ways, but no one considered such a basic necessity.

“I had food for days. We’ve had to tell people to stop bringing food,” she said. “No one thinks about pads. No one thinks about tampons. How can I ask for something no one is offering?”

When she admitted to stealing products to get through, another woman at The SPOT Period said, “Me too.” Her little sister, age 11, has been getting her period for a year. “We shouldn’t have to pay for something we did not choose,” the woman told me.

And these women are not alone. According to Power a Period, a campaign that amplifies the voices of those who depend on The SPOT Period in Germantown for menstrual products, one in four people with periods has missed school or work because they can’t afford the menstrual products they need.

So, yes, Pittman should support this bill. But not because some middle-class women have to drive to two stores to find their favorite brand of tampon. The need goes much deeper than that.

Support it so all women can pursue any career with one less obstacle. Support it for moms who will, with their infinite responsibilities, have one less expense to hold them back. Support it for the 11-year-old girl who just started her period and doesn’t want to sit through the school day with a rag or a piece of toilet paper between her legs. Ensure that she has enough pads to take full advantage of her education.

Write to and call Senate Majority Leader Pittman. Tell him we need this bill passed. Then we can promise a future to all women and girls where they can bleed in dignity. Where they can bleed in power.

Gopiga Dass is a sophomore biology major at Temple University. She is an intern at The SPOT Period and is passionate about women’s health and advocating for menstrual rights.