Australian women parody Snoop Dogg to get their government to drop a tampon tax

Women in Australia are calling for the government to drop a 10 percent tax on tampons and pads, which are classified as “luxury” goods though they’re essential for women’s health. Mia Lethbridge made this Snoop Dogg parody video to get the issue some attention:

No shame in the face that we BLEED

So why we gotta pay this bloody GST

when they taxin’ our tampons

drop it ‘coz it’s rot/drop it ‘coz it’s rot’

We can educate you/This can be biology/These are health items and that’s a reality

“We are supposed to be a progressive country, yet here we are taxing menstruating Australians,” Lethbridge told Mashable Australia.

Most U.S. states still tax tampons and pads–check out Fusion’s map that breaks down the situation. Just recently, Canada dropped a similar tax, and women in the U.K. are also questioning having to pay a tax just to look after themselves when they have their period.

Subeta Vimalarajah, an Australian woman who put together a Change.org campaign about the issue, told the BBC she thinks women are effectively being told their menstrual health care products aren’t important.

“It’s one thing to make everything taxable, but it’s different when the government has identified ‘important’ health goods as exempt, but refuses to acknowledge sanitary products as in this category. I can’t see the distinction between incontinence pads, sunscreen and condoms (which are exempt) and sanitary products,” she wrote.

Australia’s Treasurer, Joe Hockey, said he’s basically on board with the idea that tampons and pads are important health products when he was confronted on live television show Q-and-A:

The video also features outspoken local politician Christine Forster, who also happens to be Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s sister. Forster has also criticized the federal government this week over its failure to pass a same-sex marriage bill.