Scotland has just made a massive leap forward when it comes to public health and aiding those living in poverty.
A newly passed act has made all period products free for everyone. Pads, tampons, you name it, they’re all now free of charge nationwide. This is such an amazing, immensely helpful ruling that will hopefully spread to the rest of the world.
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Scotland has just passed a fantastic act.
Called the Period Products Act, it went into effect on August 15 and made Scotland the first country to provide pads and tampons completely free to everyone who needs them.
It’s a huge move that sets an amazing precedent.
Labour MSP and the person who introduced the bill, Monica Lennon, tweeted about the passing, saying that’s she “Proud that we are making period dignity for all a reality.”
This act being implemented has taken a few years
Lennon proposed the bill in 2019, then it was unanimously voted into law in late 2020. A trial was run in a few communities to ensure it was sustainable, and now that they know it is, it will be practiced country-wide.
The bill was proposed to combat poverty.
Statistics from the Scottish government show that poverty has been slowly rising in the country since the 2008 recession, as has the number of citizens using food banks.
This comes alongside data from Trussell Trust that indicates that there’s been an increasing demand for menstrual products being made available from those who use those food banks.
Lennon and many others hope Scotland is just the first of many to implement this.
As she wrote on Twitter the day it was passed, “We are the first but won’t be the last.”
The hope she has that the rest of the world will follow in Scotland’s footsteps is inspiring, and something we should all strive for!
h/t: Romper
