The price of feminine hygiene products, despite the drop in VAT on pads and tampons, has always been a subject of controversy. Something to which Scotland decided to respond almost four years ago in the most positive way possible: making them free for all its students. But today they have gone a step further, because it has become the first nation to cover tampons and pads for free.
The Scots are in luck, because their Parliament’s vision of menstruation is much more inclusive and empathic than that of the rest of the world. The region has made it law that menstrual hygiene products are free in Scotland and freely accessible to all who need them, taking a further step in normalizing menstruation.
The proposal was started by politician and member of the Scottish Parliament Monica Lennon, who stated in her bill that “they are not luxury products, but essentials and no one in Scotland should have to live without them.” For this they have proposed a system of coupons, where women register for free and validate them for pads and tampons at pharmacies, community centers and youth clubs.
The objective is to prevent women with fewer resources from having to spend a week a month without these products that help women’s intimate hygiene, as well as to cover a basic need through social security and approach what Monica Lennon has called “dignity in menstruation”. Bravo for the Scots!
Photos | @tampax.