Scotland recently became the first country in the world to make menstrual products free to anyone that needs them, and the rest of the world needs to follow their lead. It is honestly sad that in the year 2020, there is only one nation that has passed a law to make period products free. The idea that they are a "luxury" that should be paid for (and taxed) is absurd because nobody chooses to have a period. It should not be seen as a luxury to have access to products that are a basic necessity.

There are far too many stories of people that have had to go without period products because they were too expensive. People with periods are going to bleed every month whether we have period products or not, so it is about time that our world is starting to realize how ridiculous it is to prevent someone from being able to have these products.

We are sick of periods being treated as something we need to be embarrassed about and punished for having. It is a normal, biological function that we cannot control, so we should not have to pay for the products we need during our cycle.

I am sure someone reading this might say, "Well, then toilet paper should be free too!" And I agree! Defecating and urinating, just like having a period, is a biological function that will happen to us whether we want it to or not. Toilet paper and period products are basic necessities.

I will even take it one step further. Food and water should also be free. Humans need both in order to survive, and it is unethical to put a price on these items. There are millions of people around the world dying of hunger and from a lack of access to safe, clean drinking water, and that is unacceptable.

When the argument is being made for period products to be free, it is not a "gotcha" to say in return that toilet paper, food, water, housing, healthcare, and other basic human rights should be free too. You are not proving the "flaw" in my stance by saying this. All people must be able to live with dignity and have access to these products that keep us alive. Scotland making period products free is a step in the right direction, but we should not stop there.