LANSING, Mich. -- One in five teens in the U.S. struggle to afford period products, and Michigan organizations are working to make pads, tampons, menstrual cups and other similar products more accessible for everyone who gets their period.

Michigan recently removed its 6% sales tax from menstrual products, after the CARES Act in 2020 reclassified them as essential medical services.

Lysne Tait, executive director of the nonprofit Helping Women Period, said it is a small step towards having conversations and reducing stigma around periods, and making sure people have what they need.

"It should be like toilet paper," Tait asserted. "We don't question whether or not a public restroom is going to provide toilet paper. And it really is a public health issue."

Tait noted her group works to supply low-income people who menstruate, and those experiencing homelessness with free period products. She added no federal or state program supplies these products, and said she was spurred to action when she found out the federal Women, Infants and Children program does not cover them.

Shakti Rambarran, director of advocacy for the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health, said it is also important to make sure conversations are inclusive.

"This is not an experience or issue that affects just girls or women," Rambarran contended. "Conversations around menstrual products and equity must also include many trans boys and nonbinary youth. Unfortunately we see that they are wrongly erased or under-supported from these conversations."

Rambarran added the city of Ann Arbor recently implemented a policy to ensure free menstrual products are available in all public restrooms. She hopes the state will follow their example, noting there are health risks associated with lack of access to menstrual products.

"We see folks who are trying to makeshift period products, keep them in longer than would be recommended," Rambarran explained. "When people don't have the menstrual products that they need, it oftentimes means that they can't go to school, or they can't go to work. So lack of access harms their education and harms their careers."

Vice President Kamala Harris met with abortion providers from Missouri and other restrictive states Thursday to consider ways the Biden administration can protect and expand access to the full scope of reproductive health care.

Even before the leaked draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, Missouri has had among the most barriers to accessing abortions. For instance, there is only one abortion clinic because of state regulations.

Harris said overturning Roe will be a major step backward for the U.S., and would open the door to further restricting fundamental rights.

"The right to privacy that forms the basis of Roe is the same right to privacy that protects the right to use contraception, and the right to marry the person you love, including a person of the same sex," Harris contended.

Last week Harris presided over the vote in the U.S. Senate on the Women's Reproductive Health Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade, but Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and all the Republicans in the Chamber voted against it.

Michele Landau, board president of the Missouri Abortion Fund, said because states including Missouri already have been navigating barriers to care, there are some systems in place. She emphasized the National Network of Abortion Funds has more than 90 members across the country, already working to provide financial assistance, transportation, child care and logistical support.

"And we're all part of an ecosystem that we all work together," Landau pointed out. "I would just suggest that folks join their local abortion fund, lift up their local abortion funds and contact them to see how they can best assist in their work."

Landau added states which are more friendly to abortion rights have been making it clear, patients are welcome if they need to come and access care.

Illinois protects the right to abortions but is surrounded by states intending to restrict or ban abortion if and when Roe is overturned. She noted just last week, an abortion clinic in Tennessee, CHOICES, announced it would be opening a location in Carbondale, Illinois, not too far from the Missouri border.

As rhetoric grows about the future of federal abortion protections, new poll results show a majority of Minnesotans don't want the state to impose a ban.

Findings from the statewide poll of more than 800 voters, conducted by Hart Research Associates were issued by regional Planned Parenthood leaders.

Six in 10 registered voters said abortion should be fully legal or accessible in most situations. Another 65% said they would oppose new severe restrictions.

Hart Research analyst Kate Fridley said their outreach represents a range of Minnesotans.

"And this opinion on keeping abortion legal holds true across demographic backgrounds in Minnesota," said Fridley. "Majorities of voters - regardless of gender, age, race and region of the state - want to keep abortion legal, in all or most cases."

The results follow last week's leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion, indicating the federal decision in the case 'Roe v. Wade' would be overturned. The court still has to cast a formal vote on the matter.

Minnesota is considered a safe-haven state. But if Republicans take full control of the Legislature this fall, some have said they would try to get proposed bans on future ballots.

President of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund Sarah Stoesz said banning abortion would not only run counter to the views of most Minnesotans - but would affect their candidate priorities when looking at this topic.

She noted majorities of voters polled said they're less likely to vote for a person who prioritizes tougher restrictions.

"We know that we need to act swiftly to elect leaders who will protect those rights," said Stoesz. "And that will also pass legislation that protects Minnesotans' rights and reproductive freedom for generations to come."

In addition to GOP candidates, anti-abortion groups like the Minnesota Family Council have embraced the court's draft opinion.

Should it become final, group leaders say it represents a path toward limiting abortions in the state, and suggest lawmakers who oppose such efforts won't be on the right side of history.

North Dakota's lone abortion clinic said patients should stick with their appointments, despite U.S. Supreme Court rhetoric, though contingency plans are in play.

North Dakota is one of 13 states that would automatically ban the procedure should the court overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. The scenario grew closer to reality this week following the leak of a draft court opinion.

Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Women's Clinic, said because it was not a formal ruling, they will keep seeing patients. However, should the predicted outcome happen, she emphasized they do not want service to suffer.

"We are exploring the possibility of finding space across the river," Kromenaker acknowledged. "So that the access for the patients that we've been serving for the last 24 years here at Red River Women's Clinic, that access essentially stays the same for them."

Moving across the river into Minnesota is an option because it is a safe-haven state, though she stressed talks are preliminary. The pending Supreme Court decision is tied to a Mississippi case. It reached the court after more conservative-leaning justices were seated. Anti-abortion activists have long argued abortion is a violation of their religious beliefs.

Some legal experts predict the end of federal protections will lead to more state-level restrictions, including trying to prohibit people from traveling elsewhere for abortions.

Kromenaker noted they are consulting with their attorneys about the issues, noting policymakers have put a lot of energy into limiting care.

"Whether it's this Supreme Court decision or the 2023 North Dakota Legislature, I think that there are people extremely motivated to make North Dakota to impossible to provide abortion," Kromenaker remarked. "And they've got the political will to do it."

In the meantime, she recommended those who support reproductive rights can take action by being more outspoken with friends, families and lawmakers. She added serving as an escort into clinics would be helpful, noting the increased presence of protesters in recent days.