Well, our good friends at the FDA are looking out for us again. Thank goodness we have them to fine us, charges us fees, regulate perfectly natural things, and keep us safe.  Heck, who knew that women couldn't even safely menstruate without them?

The FDA has decided that reusable menstrual pads are Class I Medical Devices. That means those who manufacture these products must pay an annual fee of THREE TO FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS to continue doing so.  Not only must these ladies armed with sewing machines pay taxes on their income, they must pay a fealty charge to the FDA to continue making a living this way. FDA Regulation #884.5435 states that a reusable menstrual pad maker must be "FDA compliant" – which means they must pay a yearly registration fee of $3,646 to remain in business for 2015 and a fee of $3,872 for 2016.

This is part of the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act…also known as "The government gets a piece or they put you out of business." As people strive for more independence from Big Business, this will serve to put them firmly in their places. Self-sufficiency creates a competitive model and provides options other than paying for the lavish vacations and 19 bedroom homes of the CEOs and major stockholders of corporations who find the fees a nominal cost of doing business – if they are even subject to them at all.

Go read the mindblowing list of things that will be exempted: included are the little lights that go on urethral catheters and esophagal dilators. These things don't require oversight but a cloth pad does????????????? The FDA is terribly concerned for women, because reusable pads are considered "gynecological or obstetrical devices" that require their intervention. And fees. Don't forget the fees.