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Scotland could be first nation to approve free sanitary products for women

Parliament in Scotland approved the new plans Tuesday to make sanitary pads and tampons free at certain public places.

A Scottish Bill called The Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill passed its first stage with 112 votes in favor and none against, Reuters reports

Monica Lennon proposed the bill and said its passing would be a, “milestone moment for normalizing menstruation in Scotland and sending out that real signal to people in this country about how seriously parliament takes gender equality.” 

Currently sanitary products in the UK are taxed at 5%, but in 2018 Scotland became the first country in the world to provide these products free in schools, universities and colleges. The government of former British Prime Minister David Cameron said it wanted to end this tax on sanitary products. The failure to end the tax was blamed on European Union rules that set the tax rate. 

Lennon joined a rally at the Scottish parliament, Reuters reported, and held a sign which read,  “Access to menstrual products is a right. Period.” 

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