Menstrual Products Made Free in Scotland. Why?

In August of 2022, the Scottish Parliament passed The Period Products (Free Provision) Bill. This bill ensures that everyone in Scotland will be ensured menstrual products free of charge. This bill has been helpful to combat what we call “period poverty”; period poverty affects people who are living off low income and are not able to afford the essential menstrual products. Periods can last from as little as three days, to as many as seven. Many people struggle to pay the fees to restock their products.

Monica Lennon, the Labour Party MSP, introduced this bill back in 2019, and has been fighting against period poverty since 2016. Monica believes that everyone has a right to access these essential products, and having access to them is integral to one's dignity. Products will now be available in community spaces, like libraries, pharmacies, and at swimming pools. They will also be at town halls.

Lennon took advantage of “culture change, where period stigma is no longer being tolerated” (New York Times) to expedite her policies. Monica publicly tweeted in 2020 that “Scotland might be the first but won’t be the last country to provide period products.” She was right: places like Australia, Korea, and France have started to add policies to help aid period poverty- with more to follow!