Scotland becomes first country to offer free period products

The Scottish Parliament voted unanimously in favor of the Period Products Bill, which makes it a legal right to have free access to sanitary products such as pads and tampons in public buildings. Image: AFP/LOIC VENANCE.

Scotland on Tuesday, Nov. 24, voted to offer free universal access to period products, becoming the first country in the world to do so.

The Scottish Parliament voted unanimously in favor of the Period Products Bill, which makes it a legal right to have free access to sanitary products in public buildings.

“We all agree that no one should have to worry where their next tampon pads or reusable is coming from,” Monica Lennon, the MSP who introduced the bill, said before the Edinburgh vote.

“Scotland will not be the last country to consign period poverty to history but we have the chance to be the first. This has been a long time coming,” she added.

Sanitary products are free for pupils and students in Scotland, but the bill now places a legal duty on ministers to set up a country-wide scheme to ensure anyone can get access to them.

Schools, colleges and universities must also make a range of period products available for free in their toilets.

Lennon said that while the legislation was “world-leading,” schools should also offer education to pupils to end the stigma of periods.

Aileen Campbell, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, said the bill sent an “important message about the kind of country we want Scotland to be.”

“That is a gender-equal Scotland, where no one has to go through the indignity of using unsuitable materials to mask their periods or stretch household budgets further to buy products for their children, or miss out on education — a Scotland where no one has to hide a tampon up their sleeve,” she said.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the decision.

“Proud to vote for this groundbreaking legislation, making Scotland the first country in the world to provide free period products for all who need them,” Sturgeon wrote on her Twitter account. “An important policy for women and girls.” CC

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