Scotland Becomes First Nation to Mandate Free Feminine Hygiene Products

Many people in the world are extremely privileged. The fact is, many of us think we’ve known poverty and understand what it means to do without things we need, but there are different degrees of poverty. For example, if you’ve never had to go without feminine hygiene products when you’re menstruating, you’re privileged. As a woman, I’ve never thought about it much, to be honest. There has never been a single month in my entire life when I wondered if I was going to be able to afford tampons or pads. I’ve certainly experienced hard times in my life, but when it came to having the basic stuff I needed, I’ve been blessed.

Having the supplies I needed as a woman is something I’ve taken for granted. However, for many women and girls around the world, it’s not something they take for granted at all. In recent years, we’ve seen several movements in which people (mostly women) advocate for making these kinds of supplies free for women and girls. Well, the thing is, this kind of thing has to be legislated because it’s hard to get something for free. Scotland decided that they’re going to lead the way and it’s official. They just became the first country in the world to implement free universal access to supplies women and girls need when they’re menstruating.

A new law was passed early this week and the MSP behind the legislation hopes it is a solid first step to eliminating the “stigma of menstruation” from Scottish society. The bill was brought forth by Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon and it brings forward a legal right of women and girls to have access to sanitary napkins and tampons. The bill was passed in a unanimous vote of 121 to zero and won the support of not just the Scottish government, but also opposition parties. The bill is called the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill.

Watch the news story about this remarkable development below.

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