University of Idaho Passes Bill to Provide Free Menstrual Products to Students
The topic of feminine health is typically a neglected topic of discussion, especially on a congressional level. The University of Idaho’s Senate unanimously passed a bill last week to allocate funds to provide menstrual products in all women’s bathrooms and gender-neutral bathrooms across campus. This is the first bill of its kind to pass on campus.
The University of Idaho has largely been viewed as a “liberal” campus compared to other campuses in Idaho. Idaho is traditionally a red state so something like this does not come by very often.
The first college campus to implement free menstrual products was at Brown University. According to an article in Newsweek, two years ago the university stated, “There’s been a lot of conversation about why pads and tampons are a necessity, not a luxury, but not a lot of action. We wanted to take it into our own hands.”
Following in the footsteps of Brown University, hundreds of campuses nationwide have implemented free menstrual products in restrooms. The University of Idaho was the first campus in Idaho to do this. All universities have the goal in mind to move this to statewide levels and eventually nationwide levels. Many are optimistic they can achieve this within our lifetime, while many are not. Whatever the opinion, they all agree that this is the small step in the right direction to eventually reach that goal. Menstrual products are not a luxury, they are a necessity. Governments, local and national to recognize this. They also need to get more comfortable talking about this and other women’s health issues.
The bill was brought to attention by Samragyee Guatam. The Senate decided to set aside $300 from their budget to fund this project. This project will only be for Spring 2019 due to a lack of funds. The ASUI Senate is working with the university to continue this for years to come.
The ASUI student body president sent a poll to students in early September. The poll found that 98% of respondents would support this project for years to come. The University of Idaho’s student body has been overwhelmingly supportive of this project.
Free menstrual products have been a controversial topic of discussion in recent years in response to state-sponsored Viagra. The unanimous decision came as a shock to many students across campus especially in the political climate of the country at this time. The University is keeping the student body informed on developments in this story.