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Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

Talon Marks

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The bloody necessities

It’s that time of the month again!

The time where a woman’s uterus decides to fall out of her, leaving behind a trail of blood and disdain.

Yes, that’s right. We are talking periods here people.

More specifically, why do women have to pay for them?

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would eliminate the sales tax on feminine hygiene products.

This can only be described in one word: lame.

Is it not bad enough that we go through the emotional and physical toll that is menstruation without having to just pay a little bit more for it.

You would think that after thousands of years of women having periods that the mindset toward menstruation would be a little more advanced.

Here’s an idea, maybe, just maybe tampons should be free.

Okay, that maybe is taking it too far.

Here’s a compromise, a public mandate stating that public restrooms should have feminine hygiene product dispensers. Even bar’s, at some point in time, had condom dispensers.

Sounds like a good plan, right?

Well clearly Governor Brown doesn’t think so.

But what else could be expected from a person who has never had a period before?

One should not make decisions on something one has no knowledge about. Brown justified his veto by noting that the California revenues would decrease somewhere in the ballpark of the hundred million dollar range.

And for that, Governor Brown, you really are the real MVP. The MVP of being a completely and utter doorknob.

Let’s get something straight here:

We did not ask for this, we were born this way, unfortunately. So, why is the state of California’s economy being partially placed on women’s shoulders? It’s blatantly unfair. California is literally benefitting off the pain and discomfort of women.

Women are being asked to pay a sales tax on something that is an essential need for all women, some as young as the age of 11. It’s like putting feminine hygiene products in the same category as, say, a pair of socks.

Socks aren’t a necessity. They are a luxury. We can all walk around with shoes and no socks all day and be perfectly fine.

A woman can’t walk around without a maxi pad or tampon, while on her period, for the simple reason that it is completely unsanitary.

They should really be in the same category as food, which is a necessity, so there is no sales tax. Anything deemed as a necessity by the government is free from tax.

A woman’s vaginal necessities just aren’t a priority in today’s society. Tampons are expensive enough already without the sales tax.

Yes, a woman doesn’t have to pay for a box of tampons every time she has her period but we have to get one thing straight here: ALL PERIODS ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY!

They can pop up anytime, anywhere. They may even drop by early, unannounced! A period may even be so rude as to show up late.

So show a little compassion for all women because it’s hard being one.

Think of your mom, your sister and even your grandma. Even she, at one point, went through it.

Always have a tampon on hand because it may just save a poor woman’s life.

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About the Contributor
Monique Nethington
Monique Nethington, Editor in Chief
My name is Monique Nethington and am the current Editor-in-Chief of Talon Marks. I am a Journalism major at Cerritos College and hope to one day work for the NFL network as a field reporter. In the fall, I will be attending Academy of the Arts University in San Francisco to get my BA in Communications and Media Technologies.
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The bloody necessities