In a cramped bathroom stall, a college student folds toilet paper into a makeshift pad. She’s missed classes before because she can’t afford tampons, but today she pushes through. Down the street, a single mother faces the same dilemma—to buy groceries or menstrual products? In a world where periods are a monthly reality for half the population, millions still struggle to afford basic products. It’s more than just an inconvenience; it’s a barrier to education, work, and dignity, forcing difficult choices every month.
New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey’s bill (S5910B) requiring public colleges and universities to provide free menstrual products in campus restrooms, to help mitigate this issue, was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on August 26, in celebration of Women’s Equality Day.
This bill is a continuation of Hinchey’s long history of advocating for women’s health and menstrual equity, during which she has sponsored several legislative initiatives, including one to provide free menstrual products in all New York State emergency housing, including for victims of domestic violence (S6573), which became law.
Women’s Equality Day, a designated commemoration day on August 26, was officially recognized by Congress in 1973 at the behest of Bella Abzug, a New York Congresswoman and women’s rights activist. The date was selected not only to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote but also to call to attention women’s continuing efforts toward full equality. So passing Bill S5910B, to mitigate period poverty, on this day made perfect sense.
“Period poverty” is a global and local health issue defined as limited or inadequate menstrual product access or health education, due to financial constraints or negative sociocultural stigmas associated with menstruation, according to the global youth-fueled advocacy nonprofit Period.
In the last five years, the cost of pads and tampons has risen sharply, outpacing food price inflation, according to the Wall Street Journal. As of July 2024, the average price of a package of tampons in the US is up 36 percent to $8.29, and pads have risen 41 percent to $6.50.
This particularly affects college students. A nationwide survey in 2023, conducted by intimate health brand Intimina, found that one in five female college students have felt forced to decide between buying menstrual products and paying for other expenses, such as food or other bills; and nearly half of those surveyed have struggled to obtain supplies due to cost. This creates an environment where low-income students suffer academically, socially, and physically due to a lack of regular access to menstrual hygiene products.
“It’s getting hard to just get a box of tampons without feeling like I am making a big purchase,” Sophie Moos, a student at SUNY New Paltz says. “Dropping $10 on a box of tampons, which have toxic chemicals in them, should not be my normal or anyone else’s. Although women need period products, they are treated as a luxury rather than a human right.”
Hinchey’s bill aims to address this increasingly prevalent issue for CUNY and SUNY students like Moos.
“Menstrual products are a fundamental health necessity, and no one should be held back in school, work, or life because they can’t afford or access them,” Hinchey says. “I’m incredibly proud that our bill making menstrual products available for free in all SUNY and CUNY restrooms has been signed into law. This legislation is a huge step forward in our fight to end period poverty, reduce financial stress and stigma often surrounding menstruation, and bring us closer to true equity and dignity for people who menstruate.”
Menstrual Equity at SUNY New Paltz
“To finally have a set law in our state that period products must be provided is a huge step in the right direction,” Moos agrees.
Take Back the Night (TBTN), an organization with a chapter at SUNY New Paltz, which works to empower survivors of domestic, sexual, and other forms of interpersonal violence, has been a student-run leader for menstrual equity on campus. The group values on-the-ground activism by holding discussions, planning and executing large-scale events, and working with other organizations to further their mission. Last year, the group supplied four residence halls with menstrual products and is currently working with the student association to bring products to all dorm buildings.
“I would order roughly $250 worth of products every week or so, and my friend Marcus and I would unpackage them in the student association office,” says TBTN president Omar Alawadhi. The two then delivered products to the residence halls, as well as the New Paltz food pantry. Alawadhi says expanding beyond that, which is the goal, requires more support and funding.
“It took us months of bureaucracy to put the products in the halls,” he says. “This bill feels like a no-brainer, like it should’ve been done a long time ago. It’s been a long time coming. It’s nothing revolutionary. It’s just common sense. The sooner it’s implemented, the better.”
However, information about the timeline for implementing the bill into direct action, or what that will look like on the SUNY New Paltz campus is not yet available.
