An Ohio law has recently been proposed that would eliminate sales taxes from feminine hygiene products.

The two sponsors of House Bill 61, state Reps. Greta Johnson and Brigid Kelly, are calling for feminine hygiene products to achieve “medically necessary” status, which would exempt them from tax under Ohio law.

“The questions surrounding taxes on feminine products stem from the fact that, by their nature, the tax has a disproportionate impact on women,” said Dr. Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, a University state and local government professor. “Women require these products, there is no option to go without, so women are stuck paying for feminine products and the taxes associated with them.”

According to a Fox 8 news article, Kelly estimates that the removal of this “pink tax” would cost the state $4 million in tax revenue. This amount of money raises questions about the cost of the bill.

“Any amount matters,” sxaid Kalaf-Hughes, “but figure Ohio collects about $27 billion in tax, so four million is a very small percent of that.” Asked whether $4 million is a significant amount to lose, she said, “Overall, not really.”

Those in favor of the bill say that it could save women nearly $2,000 in their lifetime, according to the article.

According to Kalaf-Hughes, if there is any push-back against the passage of this law, it is likely to be minimal.

“The bill was introduced by two Democrats, but does have bipartisan co-sponsors, which is a signal of support,” she said. “The concerns and opposition to the bill will be from people who don’t want to see the state lose the income tax, from people who feel that feminine products are generally a luxury and not a necessity.”

Kalaf-Hughes said other sources of opposition to the bill could come from people who feel that it is a woman’s responsibility to pay the costs associated with being a woman, or from people who are against all types of sales tax exemptions in general.

Joscelyn Towchik, a third year broadcast journalism major, is strongly in favor of this law because of the benefits it will have for Ohio women.

“I’ve never understood why there needs to be a tax in the first place,” she said. “I think the price of feminine products is already expensive enough, so eliminating the tax would make them more affordable—especially for women who struggle to buy the products monthly.”

Kalaf-Hughes said there are many theories why Ohioans have not seen legislation like this being passed before.

“Some argue it is because it has not been an issue until now, or because sales tax has gone up so the impact is greater than it used to be, or because laws are predominantly made by men who are unaware of the needs of women, or because feminine products are not comfortable conversation so no one wants to talk about them,” she said. “In reality, it is probably a combination of all of these, rather than one specific reason.”

Before the bill can be considered or killed, it must be assigned to a committee.