Should Mensural Products Be Provided in Public Restrooms?

Should Mensural Products Be Provided in Public Restrooms?

Alex G.

Whether or not  mensual products should be provided in public bathrooms has been a debated topic for a while. Places like Penn State University, other colleges,some high schools, or government buildings have started to provide these products for free.

 

A bill proposed in 2019 by New York Congresswoman Grace Meng required all public, federal buildings to provide free menstrual products in bathrooms. Medicaid would have been required to cover the cost of these products, but it died in Congress, according to the non-partisan legislation tracker GovTracker. Then, in November 2021 Ann Arbor, Michigan was the first U.S. city to require public restrooms to provide free menstrual products, along with hand soap and toilet paper, CNN reported. “Access to these items is a matter of personal dignity, a human necessity and a health care right,” Taylor said at the city council meeting Monday.

 

Providing these products in public bathrooms allows women to have access to products they may need if they forget to grab an extra, or cannot afford them. Many no longer carry cash, especially coins, to get products from bathrooms. No woman should have to sit in a bathroom stall in anxiety about how they will get through the day due to their menstrual cycle.