South Cook News

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) recently tweeted that there is a new bill that will help expand the access of menstrual products. The congressman stated that no one should have to choose between buying food products or buying basic necessities such as menstrual products.

"No one should have to choose between buying food, and basic needs like menstrual products," he said in the Twitter post. "The Period PROUD Act would provide funding to help remove these cost barriers."

Casten and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) have jointly introduced the Period PROUD (Providing Resources to Our Underserved and Disadvantaged) Act of 2023, aiming to enhance the availability of menstrual products for individuals facing limited access. The legislation—which was introduced on July 6—seeks to allocate additional funding via the Social Services Block Grant program to eliminate financial obstacles related to menstrual products, while also promoting educational efforts to equip officials with effective communication strategies for students requiring the products.

"No one should be forced to choose between paying their bills or buying menstrual products," Casten said in a recent release on his website. "The Period PROUD Act removes the cost-barrier for the 22 million women living in poverty and ensures they have the menstrual products they need to go to school or to work. Menstruation is a natural process and the products it requires should be freely accessible."

The purpose of the legislation is to make menstrual products freely accessible to all individuals, recognizing menstruation as a natural process and rejecting the notion of anyone being forced to choose between paying bills or buying essential menstrual products.

"Since my earliest days in Congress, I have been a proud champion of working to combat period poverty," Meng said in the release. "Legislation like the Period PROUD Act and my Menstrual Equity for All Act ensures women, girls, and people who menstruate have safe and affordable access to menstrual products. Thank you to my colleague, Congressman Casten, for his partnership in fighting to remove cost-barriers to menstrual products for the roughly 22 million women living in poverty."