Current Events > Scotland is the first nation to make period products free

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/world/europe/scotland-free-period-products.html

Tackling Period Poverty, Scotland Is 1st Nation to Make Sanitary Products Free
The Scottish Parliament voted unanimously to pass a measure that makes free period products available to anyone who needs them, the first country to do so.

Scotland has become the first country in the world to make period products freely available to all who need them, after final approval was given to a landmark piece of legislation in Parliament on Tuesday.

The measures are intended to end period poverty or the circumstances, and in some cases, prohibitive expense that have left many without access to sanitary products when they need them.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, posted on Twitter shortly after the vote on Tuesday evening that she was proud to vote for this groundbreaking legislation which she called an important policy for women and girls.

A draft bill received initial approval in Parliament earlier this year, but Tuesdays vote saw the measure officially pass, with lawmakers voting unanimously in its favor.

Two years ago, Scotland also made history when it began providing free sanitary products to students at schools, colleges and universities, through a government program. Wales and England followed last year with similar programs that provide free sanitary products in schools.

The new law in Scotland builds upon the earlier measure, introducing a legal right of free access to tampons and sanitary pads in schools, colleges, universities and all other public buildings.

Monica Lennon, the lawmaker who submitted the draft proposal of the bill, thanked the groups who were instrumental in its passage, including the Girl Guides of Scotland, and said a collaborative effort across the government had led to its success.

We have shown that this Parliament can be a progressive force for change when we collaborate, Ms. Lennon said, speaking in front of Parliament ahead of the vote on Tuesday. Our prize is the opportunity to consign period poverty to history. In these dark times, we can bring light and hope to the world this evening.

Lawmakers across the political spectrum voiced their support for the bill throughout its final debate, and praised Ms. Lennon and others for making it a reality.

Aileen Campbell, the cabinet secretary for communities and local government, speaking ahead of the vote, said the passage of this bill would send a very clear message to the kind of Scotland we want to be.

She said it was clear that everyone in this chamber agrees that no one in our society should have to suffer the indignity of not having the means to meet their basic needs and that being able to access period products is fundamental to equality and dignity.

Its not just the cost of products that have been an issue. There are a variety of circumstances that make menstruation a difficult experience for women and girls, the creators of the bill say, including poverty, homelessness, abusive relationships and some health conditions. Some transgender people may also experience difficulties in accessing sanitary products.

And the issue has been made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, a study published by Plan International UK, a global childrens charity, showed earlier this year.

Almost a third of girls and women between ages 14 and 21 encountered problems either affording or accessing sanitary products during the first national lockdown this year, the survey showed. While schools across the United Kingdom have provided period products for free since last year, with schools and youth centers closed during the pandemic, more girls were left without the necessary supplies, the group said.

It matters now more than ever because periods dont stop in a pandemic, Ms. Lennon said in Parliament.

She and other lawmakers also made it clear that there was still work to be done in tackling the stigma and embarrassment around periods.

Once access to period products is secured for all, our next steps must be ensuring womens health in general remains high on the political agenda in Scotland and that we end all stigma around menstruation, she told a local news outlet, The Scotsman, ahead of the vote.

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This is how you get shitty products.

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I mean, soap, toothpaste, etc... should surely follow.

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Neat

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Netflix

shnangyboos posted...

I mean, soap, toothpaste, etc... should surely follow.

Sounds good to me.

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Me too, but I doubt we'll be seeing it.

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bump

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MarvAlbert posted...

This is how you get shitty products.

The entire point is to get them in the hands of people who otherwise would have to do without. I'm sure they will be happy to get them

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Should come to America in ~150 years

shockthemonkey posted...

Hell yeah

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MarvAlbert posted...

This is how you get shitty products.

yeah because cheap cardboard tampons dont exist in the US

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About time.

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Do you want free healthcare or quality healthcare?

you can only choose one

coh posted...

Do you want free healthcare or quality healthcare?

you can only choose one

eston posted...

The entire point is to get them in the hands of people who otherwise would have to do without. I'm sure they will be happy to get them

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coh posted...

Do you want free healthcare or quality healthcare?

you can only choose one

what happens when its a choice between free healthcare and no healthcare?

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coh posted...

Do you want free healthcare or quality healthcare?

you can only choose one

Why not both?

I'll take both.

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coh posted...

Do you want free healthcare or quality healthcare?

you can only choose one

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/study-medicare-for-all-would-save-68-000-lives-458b-annually.html

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Lonestar2000 posted...

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/study-medicare-for-all-would-save-68-000-lives-458b-annually.html

Coh being bodied ... again

Kinda nutty priorities, but k

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Toilet paper is more important.

Hopefully the rest of the UK will follow.

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Seems kind of weird to make them all free. It'd make more sense to have packs of hygiene products for the impoverished if it's that big of an issue. If they're having trouble obtaining that one cheap product, then they're certainly without any money whatsoever.

Good.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

And yet, you didnt.

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FlameTurtle posted...

And yet, you didnt.

Seriously. What the fuck, Crono?

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Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

Kinda nutty priorities, but k

how so?

many people across the world who have pre-menstrual cycles aren't able to afford sanitary products, and as a result, suffer in ways that those who don't don't have to consider, even if they're similarly impoverished

this helps at least address some of those issues

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^ This

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g0ldie posted...

how so?

many people across the world who have pre-menstrual cycles aren't able to afford sanitary products, and as a result, suffer in ways that those who don't don't have to consider, even if they're similarly impoverished

this helps at least address some of those issues

Food, healthcare, shelter, take your pick

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This is a specific and necessary aspect of healthcare

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Not something I ever thought about before but sounds great. Hygiene products are good for everyone and should be readily available for everyone if possible.

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Good

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Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

Food, healthcare, shelter, take your pick

All of the above should be guaranteed.

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gamestunner posted...

Toilet paper is more important.

Do you need to take in your own toilet paper when you shit in a public toilet?

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based scotland

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I still lol @ "nation"

It's the equivalent of a US state, Australian/Canadian province approving it, and should be reported as such

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gamestunner posted...

Toilet paper is more important.

Equally important.

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Should have been menstrual cups to cut down on waste & cost but ok

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Revnir posted...

Scotland is a nation, and certainly not the equivalent of a US state

Australia does not use the term 'provinces' for its states and territories either lol

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Darmik posted...

Australia does not use the term 'provinces' for its states and territories either lol

Like, do people really not know that Scotland is a country? What in the world was that post

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YoungMutual posted...

I still lol @ "nation"

It's the equivalent of a US state, Australian/Canadian province approving it, and should be reported as such

@YoungMutual Living the ignorant American stereotype I see.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom

The UK is made up of four countries.


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spikethedevil posted...

@YoungMutual Living the ignorant American stereotype I see.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom

The UK is made up of four countries.

I'm not american, at all.

It's just that the UK is the country itself and the "countries" its made of are its constitutens.

They may have larger degrees of autonomy and may have the formal name "countriy" but the entity that's internationally recognised as a country and had UN representation is the UK

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YoungMutual posted...

I'm not american, at all.

It's just that the UK is the country itself and the "countries" its made of are its constitutens.

They may have larger degrees of autonomy and may have the formal name "countriy" but the entity that's internationally recognised as a country and had UN representation is the UK

And yet in all sporting events that are not the olympics they all have their own teams.

They are 4 separate countries with one ruler in one united kingdom whether you like it or not hell they each have there own national anthems.

Its one kingdom so of course it is represented in the UN as such.

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the UK is more united than the US is

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thronedfire2 posted...

the UK is more united than the US is

Not at the moment were not lol.

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spikethedevil posted...

And yet in all sporting events that are not the olympics they all have their own teams.

They are 4 separate countries with one ruler in one united kingdom whether you like it or not hell they each have there own national anthems.

Its one kingdom so of course it is represented in the UN as such.

What? So what if private sports organizations allow them to have their own teams? Again, the entity conducting international trade and negotiations, and recognized as a country by the international community, and the one that's member of the United Nations, is the United Kingdom, not its constitutents.

Why did the UK leave the European Union as a whole? If they're four separate countries, surely Northern Ireland and Scotland would be allowed to remain?

They couldn't, because the UK is the country and its members are subdivisions, why was Scotland not allowed to remain? Becuase it doesn't have the autonomy to do so.

I'm not even saying this as a mean to be confrontative, it's just the way things are.

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Awesome!

Lonestar2000 posted...

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/study-medicare-for-all-would-save-68-000-lives-458b-annually.html

@coh

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