Medical Jurisprudence Commons^™

Menstruation In A Post-Dobbs World, Emily Gold Waldman, Bridget J. Crawford

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

In this Essay, we re-examine our 2022 book, Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law's Silence on Periods, through multiple related lenses, including the human rights, sustainability, and workplace issues emphasized by our three reviewers; the COVID-19 pandemic; and the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. All of these perspectives converge on the inherent dignity and autonomy interests in being able to manage one's own body. Menstruation and related conditions like breastfeeding, pregnancy, and menopause should not be sources of shame or stigma. Nor should they be vectors of formal control by the government or de facto exclusion …