SUNY and CUNY to Provide Free Menstrual Products

This article was originally published in Chronogram magazine.

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 New York public colleges and universities to provide free menstrual products in campus restrooms to help mitigate period poverty was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Aug. 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 Aug.  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. 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. 

A 2019 study found 64% of people who menstruate struggled to afford menstrual products within the last year. 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% to $8.29, and pads have risen 41% to $6.50. This averages between $120 and $180 spent on menstrual products per year.

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; 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 third-year student at SUNY New Paltz said. “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.”

Moos described being “stuck” in restrooms without the products they needed and making do with a DIY-toilet paper-pad situation for a few hours until they could find something better. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many students.

Hinchey’s bill aims to address this increasingly prevalent issue for CUNY and SUNY students like Moos, by ensuring products are available in campus restrooms.

“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 said. “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.”

SUNY New Paltz is among the 89 universities included in this bill. “The campus will be working closely in a continuing partnership with student leadership to implement this new plan and provide this important resource to our students so that everyone on our campus is equipped with all the resources they need to succeed,”Andrew Bruso, the executive director of communication at the university, said. “Access to these products is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of our students.”

“To finally have a set law in our state that period products must be provided is a huge step in the right direction,” Moos agreed.

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,” TBTN president Omar Alawadhi said. 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 said. “This bill feels like a no-brainer. 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.

Efforts like Senator Hinchey’s bill and ongoing campus initiatives reflect a growing awareness of period poverty and the need for accessible menstrual products. As these measures take effect, they represent a step toward addressing the challenges faced by countless individuals.