ATLANTA — A trio of bills have been introduced in Georgia that would require schools, universities, and homeless shelters across the state provide free menstrual products.
“If toilet paper and soap are provided for free in bathrooms definitely menstrual products should be as well," said Jaaie Varshney, a senior at the University of Georgia.
Varshney, alongside fellow senior Suvitha Viswanathan, founded Period Project UGA, a nonprofit group raising awareness about period poverty. The group has installed six free tampon and pad dispensers across the university's campus.
“It's a natural need," Viswanathan said. "So for it to not be provided to people as they need it is kind of a disgrace."
State representative Sandra Scott agrees.
“This is a need," said Scott, a Democrat who represents Georgia's 76th district, which includes portions of Clayton and Henry counties.
"No child should have to wear rags, toilet tissue, newspapers, socks, t-shirts," she said. "We need to make it so that every school in the state of Georgia has feminine hygiene products."
Scott has introduced three period poverty bills this session.
HB 863 would require all universities and technical colleges in the state to provide free menstrual products.
HB 861 would do the same in public schools, prisons and shelters.
HB 864 would allow low income families to use their SNAP benefits to purchase period products.
Similar legislation has been proposed in Georgia before without success.
“The general assembly is run by men and they just don't see the urgency of the importance of it," Scott said. "If their daughters could only hear them not want to pass this type of legislation. Their daughters would tell them that is needed, daddy, it is needed.”
Opponents argue it would cost too much taxpayer money to implement the bills on such a wide scale.
Some have offered a compromise of removing taxes on menstrual products, though that proposal has failed at the capitol several times already.
But supporters said they’ll keep fighting.
“We're not going to stop," Scott said. "We will continue this push."
Viswanathan and Varshney hope their success with UGA's Period Project sets a precedent and example of what could easily be implemented at other schools.
“It's completely feasible and doable and we've managed to prove that," Viswanathan said.
“This will contribute to dignity and academic excellence and really alleviate real financial barrier to a lot of people in Georgia," Varshney added. "So it's crucial.”