INDIANAPOLIS — A small group of protesters gathered in Downtown Indianapolis to make their voice heard in a nationwide event called 'National Period Day.'
People in cities across the U.S. are demanding that feminine hygiene products be made more accessible to all women.
Indiana is one of 35 states that have a sales tax on feminine hygiene products — which are considered to be non-essential.
Christina Hale, former Democratic State Representative, was the first Indiana lawmaker to propose removing the sales taxes from feminine products.
"Families and young women and girls — even older women — spend thousands of dollars over their lifetimes to pay taxes on necessary feminine hygiene products just to take care of their most personal business every month," Hale said. "And its something that — like baby formula — you have to have it. You must do it — so it shouldn't be taxed."
Hale's 2016 proposal failed to pass in the general assembly.
Organizers of today's rally say the need for change must not be ignored. They say 1 in 4 women struggle to afford feminine products due to a lack of income.
