In 2018, Scotland became the first country in the world to make menstrual products free to all students in schools, colleges, and universities in the country. This week, Scotland took this idea a giant step further after passing a bill to provide free menstrual products to everyone who needs them.
The bill, which passed with 112 votes in favor and one abstainer, would make pads and tampons freely available to all who need them at designated public places such as community centers, youth clubs, and pharmacies. The program would cost an estimated $31.2 million annually, according to Reuters.
According to UN Dispatch, 800 million people menstruate every day. Menstrual hygiene is seen by many as a basic human right, but sanitary products catering to people who menstruate are often treated as luxury items. This inability to access such products is known as “period poverty.”
With this new bill, Scotland is on its way to becoming the first country in the world to end “period poverty”.
