This country taxes menstrual pads as luxury goods. She's suing to end the tax

NPR News • Jan 15, 2026 • 1 min read

Bushra Mahnoor, photographed at home in Attock, Pakistan, advocates for the menstrual health of girls in Pakistan. "It was a big taboo mentioning that you were on your period. But mentioning that you were on your period without access to a pad was just even more humiliating," she says. Her non-profit Mahwari Justice last year filed a lawsuit to reclassify menstrual products as essential goods. Currently, menstrual pads are taxed as luxury products.

Bushra Mahnoor remembers the shame she felt when she had her period as a teen and did not have the supplies she needed. Today she leads a campaign to lower prices for pads in Pakistan.

(Image credit: Ben de la Cruz/NPR)

Preview View Original

This country taxes menstrual pads as luxury goods. She's suing to end the tax

Settings