This is an equal rights issue.
Women should not have to endure menstrual cramps. What would normally happen if a person went to their doctor and said, "Hey, doc, every month I experience debilitating pain that causes me to miss work, ruins my social plans, and basically keeps me in agony for anything from hours to days." Would a doctor normally say "Oh, yeah, that's normal, just take some Advil." No. Any sane, ethical medical professional would recognize a serious quality of life issue, maybe even an indication of a more serious medical problem, and would do everything they could go get to the bottom of things and fix it.
Instead women are told that pain is normal, and are advised to mask it with painkiller.
Not that I'm not a big fan of painkiller. But long-term painful cramps can be a sign of something more sinister. Endometriosis. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. Jesus, any number of things. Or maybe they're just a painful quality-of-life decreasing condition and as such should be given the attention they deserve. Hormonal treatments like the pill or depo provera can reduce period pain or eliminate periods entirely. Changes in diet and exercise can produce drastic improvements. Ask your doctor and keep asking until you get the right answer.
When the medical profession ignores menstrual cramps they are putting women's health in danger.