Periods for Pence, Meet Tampons for Trump

Mike Pence (left) is Donald Trump’s pick for vice president, and women have something to say about that. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

The latest Donald Trump tweet to take the world by storm? This morning the presumptive Republican nominee and former reality television star announced on Twitter that his running mate and pick for vice president would be none other than Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

And as you may recall, the women of his state have some opinions about him.

After Pence signed some of the most restrictive abortion legislation in the country this spring, an activist group emerged through social media, calling themselves Periods for Pence. And the women of the group tweeted, posted on Facebook, and called the governor’s office on a regular basis to tell him if they were, well, regular.

The founder of the Periods for Pence Facebook group, who spoke with Yahoo Style on the condition of anonymity, says she’s been amazed by the impact, resonance, and growth the group has achieved in its first few months of existence.

“Initially, we were a satirical, tongue-in-cheek protest about a specific law,” she shared. “Over time, we became a community of supportive women who shared our experiences, struggles, and frustrations with each other” — especially when it comes to how (more often than not, white male) legislators decide what women can and cannot do with their own bodies.

And now that Pence is potentially one election and a heartbeat away from the presidency?

“We feel an even more urgent need to explain why these anti-choice laws are bad for women and bad for families,” she says. “Each of our ‘members’ has a vested interest in keeping anti-choice legislation and politicians at the forefront of people’s minds this election season. Mike Pence and his push of HEA 1337 under such pressure and in such a sneaky way taught us to be more vigilant and more outspoken in the Hoosier state. Women are frustrated — we are individuals, but our bodies are being legislated as if we were a huge block of nameless, faceless entities. We aren’t.”

And they’re certainly not holding back when it comes to their opinions on what Trump’s selection of Pence as his running mate means for women’s health.

“[Trump’s] choice of Pence as possible VP reinforces the opinion of many women: that Trump views women as objects, has little respect for them as individuals, and sees them as less than his equal,” she says. “Mike Pence is the poster boy for this attitude. Trump obviously has no policy experience, and choosing Pence means that he will rely on him for input regarding women’s health issues. This is huge step backward.”

Which is why Periods for Pence is taking it to a whole new level now that Pence has stepped onto the national stage.

The group’s founder says Periods for Pence “is embracing this opportunity to share our most personal details with the man who wants to be in charge of the women in this country. Of course we are going to call Trump! He obviously has a real need for understanding women’s issues and our reproductive health, so it’s really our civic duty. We are partnering with a new Facebook and Twitter page, Tampons for Trump, to get the message out on all fronts. We are really looking forward to people sharing their experiences with us on the pages.”

And they’re not alone. NARAL Pro-Choice America is encouraging their supporters to join the movement and, in a reference to Trump’s now-infamous comments about Megyn Kelly, asking people to tell the Trump-Pence campaign about “blood coming out of wherever.”

Because, yes.

Rachel Thomas, national press secretary for Emily’s List, tells Yahoo Style, concerning the Pence pick, “If anyone had any question on how terrible a Donald Trump presidency would be for women, his pick of Mike Pence as his running mate should seal the deal. The Trump-Pence ticket just shows how important this election is and how the values that we as millennial women care about hang in the balance. We have the power to decide this election and the opportunity to tell Donald Trump and Mike Pence in November that they absolutely don’t speak for us.”

Likewise, Marge Baker, vice president of People for the American Way, tells Yahoo Style, “Donald Trump’s choice of Mike Pence as his running mate cements what we already know: A Donald Trump presidency would be devastating for women’s health and women’s rights. Pence has staked his career on eliminating women’s access to abortion and endangering women’s health through his battles against Planned Parenthood.”

“The Trump-Pence ticket raises the stakes of this election — we can’t let Trump nominate Supreme Court justices who could overturn Roe v. Wade and we can’t let harmful anti-women legislation be passed by Congress or signed by the president,” Baker says. “And we won’t let that happen: Women have the power to decide the outcome of November’s elections. We’ll reject Trump, Pence, and the Republican Party’s anti-women agenda at the ballot box.”

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