Oakwood teens take their message for women to Columbus

A group of Dayton-area girls rallied in Columbus on behalf of all woman-kind over the weekend.

>> Oakwood girls taking on ‘period poverty’

The founders of Femme Aid Collaborative and PERIOD hosted a rally at the Ohio Statehouse on Saturday, Oct. 19, as part of a national push demanding legislators address taxation of menstruation products.

There were similar efforts in all of the 50 states Saturday for National Period Day.

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Ohio is among 35 states that have a sales tax on period products.

“Femme Aid Collaborative and members of the PERIOD believe that it is a fundamental human right to have access to menstrual hygiene products. And while Ohio announced House Bill 19 passed the House on October 10, 2019, the bill must now be agreed to the by the Senate, before going to the Governor’s desk for signature,” according to a Femme Aid Colaborative press release.

Oakwood High School students Claire Parker, Ryann Mescher, Dana Clark and Zoe Waller launched Femme Aid Collaborative earlier this year.

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The nonprofit seeks to address period poverty.

"It's important for Femme Aid Collaborative to be a part of this rally and to join forces with PERIOD to ensure our collective voices are being heard across the county in masses and loudly"' April Mescher, executive director of Femme Aid Collaborative, said in a statement. "Access to menstrual hygiene products is a right not a luxury."

Founded in 2014, PERIOD’s stated mission is to  “eliminate period poverty and stigma through advocacy, education and service. “

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