A couple of weeks ago we talked about the popular Instagram yogi who shared a video of herself doing yoga poses while bleeding through her white pants. Steph Gongora wrote in her post that menstruation is natural and that girls should not be taught to feel shame about their cycle. She later clarified her point in an interview with People magazine, saying that women had hidden their periods for too long, that menstruation particularly affects women in the developing world and that it should be something we’re comfortable discussing. I mentioned in that post that I didn’t realize that there were women in third world countries who didn’t have access to menstrual supplies. Theoretically I knew that this was the case, but it’s just not something you consider. Unfortunately this issue also affects women and girls in the US, who have to stay home during their periods because they can’t afford menstrual products. Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) has introduced a bill that would help provide free and lower cost period supplies to women. It’s called the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2017 (H.R. 972), and she explained to People that there are girls in her district who have to miss school as they’re unable to afford pads and tampons.

When Congresswoman Grace Meng was growing up, she didn’t give a second thought to having easy access to menstrual products. But as a legislator representing Queens, in New York City, she learned there are plenty of women in her own district who can’t afford pads and tampons.

“It isn’t just girls in underdeveloped countries who have to skip school for a week out of every month because they couldn’t afford these kinds of products,” Meng, a member of the House of Representatives, tells PEOPLE. “These stories are in our country, a developed country, where there shouldn’t be these kinds of things taking place.”

Meng hopes to change that with the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2017 (H.R. 972), introduced Feb. 13, which would provide greater access to free or reduced-cost menstrual products for women nationwide.

“This is a real issue that prevents more than half the population in some parts of the world and our country from getting an education, and causes shame just for being born a woman. I think it’s time that we educate ourselves and make sure we’re doing our part,” she says.

Meng, who is in her third term in Congress, worked on several bills in New York City and state to provide free menstrual products to schools, jails and homeless shelters, along with eliminating the sales tax on these products.

“We’ve heard stories about girls in New York City who are too embarrassed or couldn’t afford these products. Some of them have used a rag; some would just skip school for a few days. And that’s just heartbreaking for me,” she says. “Whether it’s young girls we heard about in our own city, to hearing stories about women in homeless shelters or prisons where they can’t afford their own products, and it really compelled me to work on this issue. I felt like there wasn’t enough attention drawn on it nationwide, and I just wanted to do my part.”

[From People]

This is a great idea and I only wish it was already a law. Meng explained to People that Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow taxpayers to set aside money tax free for healthcare expenses like glasses and prescription medications, don’t even cover menstrual supplies at this time. Like Steph Gongora, Meng is concerned about the social stigma around periods. She told People, “I had to testify about this issue in our Congressional Ways and Means Commission, in front of a bunch of men, and I could tell that people felt uncomfortable. We’ve grown up in a society where it’s taboo.” Pads and tampons should be readily available in public schools and in most restrooms. I know I’ve been in the uncomfortable position of having to ask other women for tampons when I was caught out without them and that’s just a minor inconvenience. Imagine not being able to afford them and having to miss school or work.