Groundbreaking Bill Set to Make Scotland the First Country To Make Feminine Hygiene Products Free

As a woman, you’ve probably complained in some capacity or another about how much tampons cost—or really, any feminine hygiene product.

In fact, a survey conducted by OnePoll, even found that the average woman spends $13.25 a month on menstrual products, which equates to an average of $6,360 over the course of a woman’s reproductive lifetime.

The stuff is not cheap, and man women can’t actually afford it. In fact, in the UK alone, one in every 10 girls have struggled to afford sanitary products, according to a study by Plan International UK.

“As studies have shown, many women find feminine hygiene products overpriced, which of course only proofs that the image of period poverty is real,” said Danela Žagar, The Brand Manager for INTIMINA. “Moreover, it not only brings financial issues to the table, but also drags behind strong feeling of stress, which can lead to health problems and lower self-esteem.”

“Period poverty is strongly tied to finances, but its accessibility is the other as important issue,” added the Brand Manager for INTIMINA. “Still in this so-called modern century there are hundreds of thousands of women that have limited access to the menstrual hygiene products.

This is exactly the season that Scotland is introducing a bill to make feminine hygiene products free across the country. That’s right, as in zero dollars!

Introduced by introduced by Scottish lawmaker Monica Lennon, the bill is called the Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill, which has recently passed its first vote. That means, if it becomes a low, residents in need will be entitled to free menstrual products from the government.

“These are not luxury items. They are indeed essential and no one in Scotland should have to go without period products,” the Lennon said.

If all goes well, this bill will make Scotland the first country worldwide to offer these types of products at no cost.

The country already offers period products available for free in schools, colleges, and universities—and they were also well ahead on the trend for that, being the first to implement the law two years ago, thanks to £5.2 million in funding from the government.

Hopefully, more countries follow suit. In fact, it already seems like they might be. There are several states in America trying to make sanitary items tax-free, as well as other countries such as Columbia, Kenya, Malaysia, Canada, Australia, India, Uganda, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Nigeria, Lebanon, and Trinidad and Tobago.

What do you think of making period products free of charge?