The Menstrual Equity Movement: Sign of the Times, Forecast for the Future

Working for a global menstrual equity non-profit in 2022 felt challenging, but optimistic. After the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, PERIOD (a youth-led non-profit working to end period poverty and stigma) mourned the far reaching consequences for women across the country, adjusted our strategy, but ultimately moved forward. We doubled down.

Despite a supreme court ruling that stripped every American woman of their right to reproductive freedom under the law, menstrual health and equity made momentous policy and cultural strides. That same year, four states ended the state sales tax on period products and five states passed legislation to expand access to free period products in schools. In 2023, over 130 pieces of legislation were introduced to advance menstrual equity across the country!

Period policy wins in 2025 have been harder to come by. Although period activists celebrated a tampon tax exemption in Alabama and Missouri in the first half of the year, the menstrual movement has finally found itself on the defensive. In Louisiana, a state sales tax exemption on period products was nearly reinstated. In New Hampshire, activists rallied to save a state mandate that required free period products in public schools. A lawsuit (initiated by New York City student and non-profit organization, Period Law) was filed against the New York Department of Education for a failure to provide free period products to students nearly a decade after this promising legislation had passed. PERIOD.’s student leaders across the country have shared that although their state is required to provide free period products, the products still aren’t readily available. 

The political reality facing the menstrual equity movement in 2025 is not only a sign of the times, but a troubling forecast for the future for women’s reproductive health in America. 

For all intents and purposes, menstruation should be viewed as one of the least politically divisive aspects of women’s overall health. We all either menstruate or know someone who does. Over 800 million women around the world are on their period at any given moment in time. This bodily function isn’t new, it isn’t radical, and it certainly isn’t political. But menstruation is a key indicator to women’s overall health - a vital sign. If even periods are falling under political attack, what does this mean for larger conversations about access to care, bodily autonomy, and comprehensive sexual health education?

It means things may get worse before they get better. It means millions of women across this country will continue to struggle to afford basic health care and receive timely diagnoses. It means vital research on women’s reproductive conditions and disorders will be put on pause. It means students will continue to miss out on school, extracurriculars, and work because of a lack of access to period products. It means that the cultural work to destigmatize menstruation is more important than ever. It means that consumer brands, the general public, and men need to step up and speak up for women. 

Healthy women are the backbone of healthy communities. We’re all tired of hearing that the future is bleak, but it is. The thing that keeps me going is this: the work feels hopeless, but we are not powerless. In America, change can happen quickly because change is collaborative. The power to paint a different future rests with the collective - we the people. Community is what will carry us through. Community is how Americans find a way forward to a future that protects and advances women’s health once again.

‍

Emily serves as the Strategic Communications Manager for PERIOD.  With a background in international policy, human rights education, and non-profit program management and communications, Emily seeks to steep her daily happenings and professional contributions in an attitude of hope and justice.

‍

PERIOD. is a global youth-fueled non-profit working to end period poverty and stigma through advocacy, education, and service. 

Powered by hundreds of youth led volunteer PERIOD. Chapters around the world, PERIOD. distributes period products to communities in need, authors menstrual health curriculum, and advocates for change. A donation of $60 covers a full year's worth of period products for someone in need - join the movement at period.org/donate. 

‍