I. Watch "Period. End of Sentence" on Netflix.

In a document:
II. Identify the people's beliefs/thoughts (AKA moral judgments) on
menstruation. Write them down and explain whether they are cultural beliefs
or personal beliefs and if those moral judgments are ethical judgments.
Overall there is a taboo on menstruation, there is a lack conversation and spread of information on
this subject between men and women or women to women. Men view this phenomenom as dirty and
impure, rejecting it and even ignoring it happens at all. Women seem ashamed of recognizing and
talking about what happens to their body as it was something bad. Having this beliefs generation
after generation, has caused silence and lost of information about what menstruation is, to the
point, women do not know why they menstruate. All of this are cultural beliefs, therfore moral
judgements.

Answer these questions:

• Why do you think they still have those moral judgments

(cultural/personal beliefs)?
Mostly because this beliefs have been normalized for generations, and thinking
different and speaking against this beliefs may trigger negative opinions; talking
against the culture is not well recived at first. I think that is where opression takes
place, the culture in this place is mostly managed by men, men who don’t go through
menstruation and because of that they don’t see it as it is, a NATURAL PROCESS. And
if it is abnormal, it is bad or it should not happen. I think that is where this belief and
opresion come from.

• Do you think it's ok for them to keep those moral judgments? Why?
I don’t think this moral judgments should continue existing at all. The existance of this
moral judgments is a threat to womans health. Women should have the right to know
what happens to their bodys and why does this happen, the lack of information also
causes a problem on the accesibility of menstrual hygiene ítems, which make their lifes
uncomfortable and in a way les accesible. This taboo also causes segregation,
humiliation and a violation of dignity.

• Do you think Indians' thoughts on periods are different from the

ones people from your country have? Why? Identify beliefs/thoughts
on menstruation the people in your country have, and write them
down; explain whether they are moral judgments (cultural/religious
beliefs, personal beliefs), or ethical judgments. Note: think not only
about your moral judgments (individual level) but on the
institutional and cultural levels like tv commercials, public policies,
popular beliefs, manners regarding periods, etc.
• Did you find similarities between the beliefs people have in India and
your own country? Which ones?

I think there is less stigma on periods in Mexico than there is in India, but it doesn’t
mean that this stigma does not exist here. On the cultural point of view i have, the
dialoge on menstruation occurs since women start to experience it, it is taught on
schools and we know as society that it happens, how it happens and why it happens and
it is certainly normalized. But this normalization and comprehension about it, is not
instant, it takes its time and it does not ocurs on every individual or social/economic
group.

The people I know, have talked about it more and it has been less stigma about it, as
they have grown more mature. I remember that at 5th grade i had a class on it, and
kids, mostly men started to make jokes about it, saying it was gross and making girls
feel bad about it. But as they grown and got more mature this conversation started to
change and they started to show more comprehension about the topic.

I have also heard of women that are ashamed of making visible they are going through
their period, to the point they don’t buy their own menstrual pads, but is their parents
or partner that do so.

As i mentioned before, the reason people know and talk about it is because of education.
But the accessibility to education is a right that not all citizens of this country have,
and it is certanly a privilege.

I also think there is a big area of opportunity institutions can work on regarding
menstruation, i think the right to health includes the accesibility to menstrual pads,
not all people are economically capable of affording them, institutions give free
condoms to their citizens but do not have an alternative for women that can’t afford
menstrual pads. I think that is a conversation that has to be done between institutions

This problem is smaller here than it is son India, but it still exists on levels which are
few visible. Such as this cultural and institutional examples i gave.