Menstrual hygiene is a fundamental human right. PERIOD. However, unfortunately for menstruators in Missouri, this is not the case.

Missourian menstruators are currently required to pay a 4.2% sales tax every time they purchase period products such as pads and tampons, thereby allowing the state government to annually obtain $6 million in revenue solely from the tampon tax. In St. Louis, two-thirds of low-income women living are unable to afford menstrual products and 46% of these women have had to sacrifice buying menstrual products in order to purchase food for their families. This problem is worsened by the tax on menstrual products, categorizing them as “luxury items.” All the while, absurd products such as bingo supplies, state fair entry fees, and commercial vending machines receive the gracious privilege of remaining exempt from the tax. This exemption needs to be extended to include period products.

The Tampon Tax undermines a menstruator’s basic right to personal hygiene by penalizing women for a biological process out of their control. Menstrual hygiene is not a “luxury”: it’s a HUMAN RIGHT. And as COVID-19 continues to spread, it is more important than ever to make products affordable for all Missourian menstruators.

The unaffordability of menstrual products and the use of unhygienic alternatives impose detrimental mental and physical health risks for menstruators as well. The fatal repercussions heighten the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome and developing urinary and reproductive infections while also emotionally elevating anxiety and depression. Thereby, emphasizing the dire need to remove the luxury tax so that menstruators especially those in poverty can live their healthiest lives and actively participate in our communities.

There is already a bill in Congress proposed by MO Representative Jim Neely, House Bill 747, to reduce the Tampon Tax from 4.2% to 1.2%, but this is still not enough. Menstruators would still be the sole bearers of the cost of menstruation, and the state legislature would still profit off of a basic human right to reproductive hygiene. Women would still be plagued by the systemic sexism inherent to our political systems. By wholly repealing the tampon tax, Missouri will put an end to the gender-specific tax that for too long has disproportionately affected Missourians who earn less than their male counterparts but continue to be overrepresented in low-income work and care-giving roles, disparities that have been exacerbated by the recent pandemic.

We are calling on the Governor of Missouri, Mike Parson, to repeal the Tampon Tax, and we need your help to do so. We are also calling on all our Missouri legislators to advocate for the same. Our goal is 100,000 signatures in 30 days, join us!

Sign this petition, share it with your friends, and help Missouri join the Menstrual Movement along with New York, Washington D.C., Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida in creating change for millions of menstruators and demanding systemic change towards gender equality.

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All credit to the students and activists leading this movement and pushing for legislative action. Special credit to the #FreeThePeriodCA organization for creating the template for this petition.