Bill requiring free menstrual products in public spaces gains traction on Beacon Hill, thanks to young advocates
Mike Deehan | WGBH | March 4, 2022
People would have free access to menstrual hygiene products in Massachusetts schools, prisons and homeless shelters under a bill approved unanimously by Senators Thursday, which now awaits House approval.
Bill sponsor Sen. Patricia Jehlen said the issue has been championed by young residents demanding better hygienic services in public spaces.
“It’s the young people bringing it forward and saying, ‘this is normal, this is not shameful. This is not embarrassing. This is the way our bodies work, and we’re going to talk about it and we’re going to get what we need,'” Jehlen told GBH News.
The bill would require elementary, middle and high schools, homeless shelters and correctional institutions to provide free disposable menstrual products in a convenient way. According to reporting from NPR, people spend an average of $9 per month on menstrual products and access to them can lead to missed classes for some students. The Education Department would report the cost of the supplies to lawmakers, who would in turn appropriate funds in their annual budget.
“The new generation of young people is much less willing to be shamed or hidden or embarrassed, and they will name bodily processes, and they will say ‘I am a menstruator,'” Jehlen said.
The House version of the bill, which the Senate passed Thursday, is pending, and lawmakers are optimistic the bill could come to the floor for a House vote soon without significant opposition. Another bill, from Rep. Jeff Roy calling for hygiene products only in schools, has made it further in the legislative process than the comprehensive bill and is also in play.