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On Tuesday, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the so-called “Period Products (Free Supply) Bill”, the world’s first statutory provision providing free access to sanitary pads. With this provision, local authorities will be obliged to provide free towels or sanitary products for the menstrual cycle to “anyone who needs them”.
The bill was launched by MP Monica Lennon to combat so-called “period poverty”: in fact, it was estimated that women can spend up to 8 pounds (about 9 euros) a month on sanitary napkins and cycling products, and those with low incomes often cannot afford them. The measure also aims to combat the stigma of menstruation: According to a survey of young Scottish women, buying cycling products shames 71 percent of girls between the ages of 14 and 21, and half of them have been absent from school during reasons related to menstruation.
The Scottish government has already provided free sanitary pads in schools and universities. It has now allocated a total of 9.2 million pounds (about 10.3 million euros) to be made available also in sports clubs, by local authorities and through charities. Each of Scotland’s 32 administrative divisions will be able to choose how to implement the law, but will need to make sanitary pads or alternatives available to all women who request them in a “reasonably easy” and “reasonably discretionary” manner.
– Read also: What is really menstruation?
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