By Lauren Young '26 and Makayla Haussler '26
During the month of October, the law school’s first-ever menstrual products drive will help fight period poverty in New York City. About 1.8 billion people around the world menstruate every month. In the United States, as many as 2 in 5 people struggle to afford basic period supplies like pads and tampons. In New York State, 14% of women and girls live below the federal poverty line—and that’s not including the trans and nonbinary New Yorkers who also menstruate.
Right now, students, faculty, and staff at CLS have the opportunity to make a small difference in addressing these large-scale problems. Throughout October, bins will be set up in the Student Services Lounge, next to Big Warren 406, to accept donations to the law school’s menstrual products drive. Donations should be unopened boxes of pads or tampons. We are also looking for volunteers to sign up to collect donations in JG throughout the month. All contributions will benefit the Food Bank for New York City, and Student Services will match the first fifty donations one to one.
Over the summer, as we prepared to step into our roles as co-presidents of Columbia’s chapter of If/When/How: Lawyering For Reproductive Justice, we considered how we might raise awareness about our mission among the law school community. And as we met new students at the start of this school year, we heard again and again that students want opportunities to put their values into practice through community service.
If/When/How is dedicated to a world where every person can make reproductive decisions free from coercion, violence, or discrimination. Many students come to If/When/How drawn to how the national organization protects and expands abortion access—a topic we are both fiercely passionate about. But we also wanted to highlight the ways reproductive justice encapsulates a spectrum of issues people with a capacity for pregnancy face throughout their lives. For many people who menstruate, that starts with their period.
One 2023 study, commissioned by the nonprofit PERIOD and the brand Thinx, found that 84% of teenagers surveyed reported missing class or knowing someone who missed class because they did not have access to period products. People who menstruate and lack access to pads and tampons face a slew of negative impacts to their physical and emotional health.
These burdens are disproportionately shouldered by Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people with periods. A 2021 study found that 35% of Black and 36% of Hispanic respondents reported having struggled to afford menstrual products in the past year. Period poverty is also a major challenge for those living in rural areas, where Indigenous people are more likely than any other group to report living.
Lack of access to menstrual products is especially pronounced among people who are in prison, in detention facilities, or experiencing homelessness. Accessing menstrual products can be especially challenging for trans and nonbinary people. Trans and nonbinary people not only face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and underemployment, but must also face the lack of access to menstrual products in bathrooms designated for men or restricted or no access to menstrual products in prisons.
Despite the broad reach of the problem, menstrual products are some of the most requested but infrequently donated items to charitable organizations. With the help of our co-sponsors Student Senate, CLWA, EWOC, OutLaws, and QTPOC, we’re hopeful the menstrual products drive will become a tradition at the law school so Columbia students can do their part to fight period poverty in our community.
Lauren Young and Makayla Haussler are 2Ls at CLS and Co-Presidents of Columbia’s chapter of If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice. If you are interested in getting involved with If/When/How, you can apply to be a 1L rep here, or apply to be an LLM rep here. Applications are due Tuesday, October 8, at 11:59pm. If you or someone you love needs assistance with a legal issue related to accessing reproductive health care, please call If/When/How’s free Repro Legal Helpline at 844-868-2821.