Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law's Silence on Periods

A documentary about periods won an Academy Award. So, the issue has received some attention.  

But, menstruation* is still an under-explored area of law.  Two woman law professors, who teach at the same school, try to fill in the gaps with Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law's Silence on Periods.

I have earlier reviewed Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice, which handles breastfeeding.  Menstruation is another matter of gender equality with a range of issues involved, including industry, law, and a lot of stereotypes mixed with shame and ignorance.  

I started this book but about a third through began to skim.  There are some interesting details.  One argument is that taxing menstrual products is a form of sex discrimination.  Menustraton also raises constitutional issues in places like prisons and is a source of equity in workplaces and schools.  

Stopping taxation of menstrual products (while some other comparable products, as well as a range of luxuries, are exempt) has a symbolic value, including showing they are necessities.  I think the expense (dollars a year) is a lot more trivial.  

Menstrual products are starting to be provided for free (such as in New York City schools) and education can address a lot of stigmas. The book also addresses such issues as the environment, privacy concerns of things like menstrual apps, the mixed record of the industry, and experience in other countries. 

A good scene of the teen show Degrassi High showed a character helping a fellow student when she had her period and a potentially embarrassing event took place.  Entertainment provides an important function here.  

Menstruation is a complex subject that has a lot of moving parts and is an important part of our culture.  This book is a helpful examination of the many legal questions that arise.   

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*  Call Jane, the film about the underground abortion service, had a good scene where a character explained the basics of female sexual anatomy.  

The character first had a mother of a daughter do it, but she had trouble.  In fact, a thing done by some consciousness-raising groups was famously to have a woman use a handheld mirror to get familiar with their pelvic area.  

The link provides the basics of menstruation, which many girls and women probably do not know.  I think it might have been helpful for the book to briefly discuss the process.  It probably would help further discussion of the legal issues too.  

Legal understandings regularly involve getting a general sense of what is being regulated.