LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Bring menstrual equity to Alabama

In 2019, one-in-four teenagers within the U.S. missed college because of an absence of entry to interval provides. In the identical yr, 46% of feminine college students in public grades 7-12 attended Title I eligible faculties. A 2019 survey of 693 girls who attended U.S. excessive faculties discovered that just about 24% had been pressured to go away college early because of an absence of entry to female hygiene merchandise, and almost 13% reported that they missed college once they had been menstruating and couldn’t entry provides.

Invoice HB50, initially introduced by Rep. Rolanda Hollis, partially addressed this subject and supported utilizing a portion of cash from the “basic fund” finances to create grants offered to colleges.

Although this invoice makes important developments within the menstrual fairness sphere, it doesn’t absolutely deal with the wants of menstruators within the state. Importantly, people experiencing interval poverty will not be distinctive to Title I faculties. Not everybody going through financial insecurity will attend Title I faculties. As well as, financial insecurity is just not the one predictor of interval poverty. There are nonetheless menstruators whose wants is not going to be addressed by this invoice.

The required instruments to help well being must be a proper and never a privilege. A primary, organic perform mustn’t limit people from experiencing their training to the fullest.

AL4ME is a marketing campaign to carry menstrual fairness to Alabama via 4 key insurance policies, together with the availability of free merchandise in all Alabama Okay-12 public faculties.

PERIOD. @ Auburn, AL and companions femPAQ and MOnthly have fashioned an alliance to create long-term, self-sustaining neighborhood change within the subject of (M)enstrual (E)quity by growing and using related analysis to tell fundraising efforts and essential legislative change for the state of Alabama.

Please assist us by offering accessible menstrual hygiene care to center and excessive faculties within the state of Alabama. Give to Alabama faculties at aub.ie/AL4ME and donate to our marketing campaign. $20 might help help 4 college students.

Menstruating college students should not should sacrifice their training because of insufficient interval care merchandise. We’ve an answer.

Let’s assist to create menstrual fairness in Alabama!

Editor’s observe: The AL4ME marketing campaign, run by the youth-led NPO, PERIOD., alongside The MOnthly Challenge, FemPAQ and Sustainability Capstone course college students, is working to advance menstrual fairness in Alabama. 

By elevating help for 4 key insurance policies and gathering funds for interval merchandise for Alabama faculties, the coalition hopes to maintain Alabama college students in school and acknowledge the humanity of menstruators in shelters, prisons, faculties and past. Go to aub.ie/AL4ME to be taught extra in regards to the affect of interval poverty in Alabama and donate to maintain college students at school! Contact ram0083@auburn.edu or interval.auburn@gmail.com for questions. 

The opinions expressed in columns and letters signify the views and opinions of their particular person authors. 

These opinions don’t essentially mirror the Auburn College pupil physique, college, administration or Board of Trustees.