[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 28, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MENSTRUAL HYGIENE DAY RESOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GRACE MENG

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 28, 2019

  Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate today as Menstrual 
Hygiene Day. Since 2013, Menstrual Hygiene Day has been annually 
celebrated on May 28th to raise awareness and catalyze political action 
around the challenges menstruating women and girls face around the 
world.
  To support the goals and ideals of Menstrual Hygiene Day, last week, 
I introduced H. Res. 406. This legislation highlights that: 500 million 
women and girls around the world lack adequate facilities for menstrual 
health and hygiene management; 1 in 3 girls around the world don't have 
access to adequate toilets; and many others face social and cultural 
restrictions during their periods. Additionally, displaced women and 
adolescent girls--whether by conflict, climate, or natural disaster--
face significant barriers to managing monthly menstruation in a safe, 
private, and dignified manner.
  Here in the U.S., 25 million women live at or below the poverty line, 
often without consistent access to menstrual hygiene products. A recent 
survey of low-income women in a large U.S. city found that nearly two-
thirds of these women couldn't afford menstrual hygiene products during 
the previous year. It is estimated that a woman may spend over $1,700 
in her lifetime on tampons, a figure that is multiplied for women who 
also support children who are menstruating. Additionally, incarcerated 
women have illustrated that their dignity has been compromised when 
they seek to access menstrual hygiene products. I have also heard 
heartbreaking stories from girls whose schools fail to provide a 
supportive environment for menstruating students, often resulting in 
negative consequences.
  Madam Speaker, no one should have to choose between their period or 
their dignity. No girl should be forced to miss school because of her 
period.
  We must break the silence, raise awareness, and change negative 
social norms surrounding menstrual hygiene here in the U.S. and around 
the world. While Menstrual Hygiene Day is commemorated today, we must 
fight to ensure menstrual equity for all--each and every day.
  That is why this resolution recognizes the barriers vulnerable 
populations face in accessing menstrual hygiene products, while 
encouraging greater research, as well as integration of menstrual 
hygiene services in global humanitarian and development activities 
abroad.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in 
commemorating Menstrual Hygiene Day. I also urge support of H.R. 1882--
the Menstrual Equity For All Act, a bill which would comprehensively 
address the challenges menstruating women and girls face.
  Madam Speaker, access to safe, affordable menstrual hygiene products 
is not just a basic health care right; it is a human right. Period.

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