New York City Public Schools To Offer Free Tampons To Students
Feminine hygiene products will be dispensed for free in bathrooms at 25 public schools in New York as part of a program to increase access to essential care.
The initiative was inspired by a successful free-tampon program launched at the High School for Arts and Business in Corona by New York City Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland. As a result of the program, attendance increased by 2% and fewer young women asked to be excused from classes.
“Feminine hygiene products are as essential as toilet paper, helping women prevent health risks and fulfill their daily activities uninterrupted by nature,” Ferreras-Copeland said in a statement. “No young woman should face losing class time, because she is too embarrassed to ask for, can’t afford or simply cannot access feminine hygiene products.”
Estimates on how much women spend on menstruation products vary, but it is believed to be more than $1,000 per year, on average.