- Spain’s Catalonia region has introduced a women’s health initiative that will provide free reusable menstrual products to millions of women and girls.
- The products are provided by the public healthcare system and distributed through pharmacies.
- Spain’s central government has also taken steps to support women’s health, including offering paid medical leave for debilitating menstrual pain.
Spain’s Catalonia region this week rolled out a pioneering women’s health initiative to provide free reusable menstrual products.
Approximately 2.5 million menstruating women, girls, transgender and non-binary people will be able to pick up one menstrual cup, one menstrual underwear and two packs of cloth pads for free at local pharmacies in northeastern Spain.
The Catalan government said the initiative, called “My Period, My Rules,” aims to “guarantee the right to menstrual equity.” The Catalan government cited statistics showing that 23% of women surveyed by the Catalan Polling Agency said they reused disposable sanitary products for financial reasons.
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Tania Berge, Catalonia’s regional minister for equality and feminism, called the program a “world first”.
A woman receives free menstrual products at a pharmacy on March 5, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. Spain’s Catalonia region this week rolled out a pioneering women’s health initiative to provide free reusable menstrual products. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
In 2020, the Scottish Government passed legislation to ensure vintage items are available for free to those who need them. However, compared to the Catalan program, in Scotland the products are single-use and distributed through schools and universities rather than pharmacies.
“We are fighting menstrual poverty, which affects one in four women in Catalonia, but it is also an issue of gender justice. We are fighting stereotypes and taboos around menstruation. ,” Verge told The Associated Press. “And (…) it’s about climate justice. We need to reduce the huge amount of waste generated from disposable menstrual products.”
The distribution of reusable products is also aimed at reducing waste. Disposable sanitary products generate around 9,000 tonnes of waste in Catalonia, according to the regional government.
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The reusable products will be obtained by the public healthcare system covering the entire population and distributed by more than 3,000 private pharmacies in Catalonia. The program cost the local government $9.2 million.
“I’m completely in favor of this initiative, because it allows us to offer products that women absolutely need at zero cost,” Laura Villarasa, a 29-year-old graphic designer, said in Barcelona.
Last year, Spain’s central government passed a law giving women with debilitating menstrual pain the right to paid medical leave.
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