The Scottish parliament advanced legislation that would ensure free universal access to tampons, pads and other menstrual products, in a huge stride for the global movement against period poverty.
The Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill passed through the first stage with 112 votes in favor and one abstention. No one opposed the bill.
The bill aims to tackle period poverty, stigma around menstruation and the impact that periods have on education. One in 10 girls in the United Kingdom have been unable to afford period products, according to a 2017 survey from Plan International UK. The survey also found that nearly half of all girls aged 14 to 21 are embarrassed by their periods, while about half had missed an entire day of school because of them. In 2018, the government announced that students in schools, colleges and universities across the countries would be able to access sanitary products for free, through a £5.2 million investment. In 2019, it allocated another £4 million to make period products available for free in libraries and recreational centers. (source: CNN World)
In USA 21 States have passed or introduced bills that would require public schools to supply free menstrual products in their bathrooms. (source: WSJ)
Waiting for this Bill to become effective law in UK and USA and for the rest of the world to enforce similar laws, there is a way to use affordable low cost, risk free and eco friendly alternatives to pads and tampons: medical grade silicone internal cups. Menstrual cups are safe for women's health, can be reused for years and are safe for the environment: while pads and tampons may cause allergies, worsen some pathologies and even cause anaphylactic shock, they are also very pollutant, killing animals specially in the sea, amassing in tons in our landfills and can take up to 200 years to decompose!
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