FL Bill Would Ban Talk About Menstruation Before 6th Grade

FLORIDA — Legislation moving forward in the Florida House of Representatives would ban discussion of menstrual cycles and human sexuality — including sexually transmitted diseases — in public elementary schools.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Stan McClain, would restrict conversations about these topics to grades six through 12.

In the United States, most girls begin menstruating when they’re about 12 years old, though the range is from ages 10 to 15, according to Healthline.com. Some girls also get their first period as young as 8 years old.

The legislation passed in the House Education Quality Subcommittee on Wednesday in a 13-5 vote. Since then, there’s been some public outcry about the proposed bill.

Rep. Ashley Gantt (D-Miami), a former teacher, called the legislation “a regressive bill” in a video of herself speaking during the subcommittee meeting, which she shared on her Instagram page.

“Imagine a little girl in the fourth grade going to the bathroom and finding blood in her panties and thinking that she is dying,” she said. “This is a reality for little girls in school. They could be in foster care. They could have parents who just work a lot. … So, she doesn’t actually know what’s going on and her teacher does not even have the ability to tell her that this is a part of life because she’s in the fourth grade.”

Annie Filkowski, the policy and political director for the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood, told The Washington Post that if the bill passes, “young Floridians will suffer.”

Calling the legislation “ridiculous,” she said, “This bill shines a bright light on Florida’s political leaders’ perpetual thirst for power and control.”

The Women’s Voices of Southwest Florida shared a video of the vice president of its youth chapter, Seneca Bristol, speaking in opposition of the bill before the state legislature on social media.

“As a 16-year-old girl, it’s like the government wants me to get pregnant right now. It’s like you want us dead,” she said. “You take away our access to be safe and educated about our bodies. Why? I am 16 years old and I’m not having your babies. We are not your incubators.”

Judy Blume, the author of the coming-of-age novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” has even joined the conversation.

The 85-year-old author, who calls Key West home, shared an article about the proposed ban by writer Carl Hiaasen, on Twitter, writing, “Sorry, Margaret.”

The tweet was a nod to the titular character of one of her most well-known books. In the book, written in the 1970s, 11-year-old Margaret experiences her first period, among other challenges and anxieties for her age range.

This story includes reporting from The Associated Press.