Free periods in Scotland

[mikeyB]

A news item which seems to have got a bit lost in the stramash going on in England, but the Scottish Parliament have just passed legislation that will allow sanitary equipment for ladies to be free of charge. This means a relief for those who have to decide to heat or eat, thanks to Tory benefit cuts. It stops schoolgirls being embarrassed and taunted, or packing their knickers with toilet paper, which always fails.

It’s really a social experiment, to see if it improves school attendance, and it compensates single mothers and asylum seekers to a degree from the ravages of Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel. In case you didn’t know, Rishi Sunak’s wife has £410 million, so I don’t suppose he’ll ever suffer.

And no, it’s not means tested. Free for every woman in Scotland. And before the Tories start moaning, this comes out of Scottish taxpayers money, plus some money that the uk government gives back out of the 60% of all tax generated in Scotland that they take.

All prescriptions are free as well, because like Wales and NI discovered when they did the sums, it’s cost neutral. You just need to do those sums to work out that prescription charges are nothing more than a tax on illness.

They’ve just taken that a step further, realising that sanitary protection is an unfair cost and tax on women in their fertile years. And again, before anyone suggests, as has been done, that men should get shaving kit free, women shave bigger areas than men do to make their bodies conform to rules imposed by men. And women’s shavers cost more than men’s, or hadn’t you noticed?

 

[trophywench]

... and I remember when we had to argue like heck to try and get the VAT removed?? ('Luxury items' - my backside.)

 

[Kaylz]

TMI probably but as a lass who had heavy periods, sanitary towels cost me a small fortune, especially as I was irritated by some due to the coating used which were generally used on the cheaper varieties, have saved quite a bit since the contraceptive injection stopped them xx

 

[Lanny]

Same here @Kaylz I’ve had very heavy periods from the start & had a lot of problems as I started at 10 years old! It’s a relief to be almost done with them now & have very few as I’m pre menopausal or, possibly ACTUALLY menopausal! 🙄

 

[New-journey]

Excellent news, well done Scotland! Next England? 😉

 

[mikeyB]

If recent history is anything to go by, then it might well be Wales then NI. (And maybe then Eire). It will never happen in England as long as the Tory party is peopled by public school educated twerps, who would probably dial 999 if they ever discovered their wives bleeding.

And don’t forget, Scotland is the first country in the World to do this. It will be interesting to see how many other countries take note.

Meanwhile, property is amazingly cheap in Scotland away from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and English outposts like Pitlochry and St Andrews, just waiting for the invasion of disgruntled women 😉

 

[New-journey]

If recent history is anything to go by, then it might well be Wales then NI. (And maybe then Eire). It will never happen in England as long as the Tory party is peopled by public school educated twerps, who would probably dial 999 if they ever discovered their wives bleeding.

And don’t forget, Scotland is the first country in the World to do this. It will be interesting to see how many other countries take note.

Meanwhile, property is amazingly cheap in Scotland away from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and English outposts like Pitlochry and St Andrews, just waiting for the invasion of disgruntled women 😉

Well said!

 

[pm133]

This is fantastic news and should have been done decades ago.
If men suffered periods, you can guarantee they would have been made free a long time ago.

 

[trophywench]

This is fantastic news and should have been done decades ago.
If men suffered periods, you can guarantee they would have been made free a long time ago.

Do not be so utterly and completely ridiculous about what men would have done.

They would have found a cure!!!!

 

[mikeyB]

If men had periods they’d be women, so this is a thought experiment with no solution, ladies😉

 

[pm133]

Do not be so utterly and completely ridiculous about what men would have done.

They would have found a cure!!!!

The "cure" would be to allow men to have the entire period producing apparatus removed surgically. And as men we would ensure the law allowed us to make those decisions about our own bodies.
Interestingly, a woman has a hell of a job getting approval for that very operation. My 24 year old daughter wants that operation but has to ask permission from people who feel they are better equipped to decide what she wants.

 

[trophywench]

Approx 35 years ago I decided I'd get my tubes tied rather than take birth control pills until the menopause so asked my GP to refer me, so he asked who I'd like to see? I said I hadn't a clue what choices were available, so perhaps he knew that better than I did? He ran through the names on his list and gave me thumbnail sketch of the ones he knew about, one of whom was a lady but she was newly appointed so he'd had no feedback - so I went for one of the men. He was utterly and completely straightforward about it all but did say really quickly that although the op could be reversed, he wasn't in the business of providing reversals so not to ask him to do that. I said Fair enough - I'm more interested in how successfully you do the job in hand than anything like that happening years hereafter. Went in to have it done and was surprised when a nurse asked if my husband was coming to see me tonight, because I needed to ask him to sign the consent form. I was gobsmacked and said OK, then promptly forgot. Told consultant next morning - he said as far as he was concerned it was my body, not my husband or anyone else's. And tied my tubes.

Some years later with my belly full of fibroids, the lady gynae whipped it all out for me, no husband needed to sign anything.

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

Well done scotland. I remember years and years ago when i was fit and healthy, popping into the paper shop on my way home from night turn buying sanitary towels for my missus.

 

[trophywench]

LOL - I can vividly remember being told by my mother only to let 'Sandra' serve me in the chemists if I ever needed 'anything like that'. Awkward at times as a teenager if Mr Smith - or worse!!! - his son Chris (fresh out of University with all his Pharma degrees and clearly training for succession so his dad could retire) - said Hello Jennifer! as I walked in the flippin shop.

 

[Ditto]

Cringing reading this thread. The only subject that causes me embarrassment, not sure why. At least they don't show the advert for wings any more. Good for Scotland. I told you about my trip to the shops in the 1950s didn't I? It's a fave story, makes me laugh at myself. Mother sent me to get some Dr Whites, lazy cow should have gone herself, I had to do everything (moan moan moan) and I lost the note, the mantra "It's on the note" was a big feature of my early childhood till she buggered off. So I fought to remember and took back cheese triangles. Cheese sounds like STs. Another me me me post from blabbermouth. Who needs to pay for therapy, I can just bore the pants off you lot.

 

[mikeyB]

What it means is that there will be no need to necessarily go to a shop. There will be dispensers in every public place such as schools, universities, pubs, restaurants, sports and concert venues. Not on public display, of course,

The vote for passing this legislation was unanimous- nobody voted against it, not even the Boris slaves in Holyrood. Imagine that happening in England.

I don't think this a subject that should cause embarrassment. It’s perfectly normal, like why Andrex needs to be soft and gentle. Or like Tena advertising products for those slightly leaky post natal bladders for folk with blue wee and white trousers. Mind you, it wasn’t until as late in 1972 that menstrual products were allowed to be advertised on TV. It’s not the women who are embarrassed, it’s the men, and always has been.