Ann Arbor considering law to require menstrual products in all public restrooms - MLive.com
ANN ARBOR, MI — City officials say they’re hoping to bring period equity to Ann Arbor with a new law requiring all public restrooms to offer menstrual products.
The restroom supplies ordinance is being proposed by Mayor Christopher Taylor and City Council members Lisa Disch, Jen Eyer, Julie Grand and Travis Radina.
It would require all public restrooms in Ann Arbor to offer a standard set of personal products, including toilet paper, soap, paper towels, tampons and menstrual pads.
“We don’t require men to carry toilet paper,” Taylor said in a statement. “Period products are a necessity for anyone who menstruates. Access to these items is a matter of personal dignity, a public health necessity and health care right. Too many in Ann Arbor struggle to obtain them and we are going to do something about it.”
The ordinance, which includes $100 fines for violations, is up for an initial vote Monday night, Oct. 18. It could come back for a public hearing and final approval Nov. 4 and take effect Jan. 1, 2022.
Eyer, D-4th Ward, called it critically needed legislation that is long overdue.
“Every day in Ann Arbor, low-income women have to choose between buying food and spending money on menstrual products,” she said in a statement. “Every day in Ann Arbor, menstruating women and girls miss school or work because they don’t have the necessary period supplies. It’s just not right. We recognize that period poverty is a public health issue and that equitable access to period supplies means that people can work, learn and participate in Ann Arbor life with these material basic necessities.”
The ordinance would apply to all buildings where a public restroom is required to be available to business customers, employees, students and other visitors.
Disch, D-1st Ward, emphasized the importance of having menstrual products accessible to school students, calling it critical for student success.
“Our culture needs to recognize that menstrual hygiene is vital to the health and wellbeing of women and girls,” she said in a statement. “Too many young people struggle to afford period products, which affects their right to be healthy and to go to work or school with dignity. Students should be able to go to class with confidence.”
Taylor said he has reached out to affected stakeholders, including the Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor Public Schools, Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority and business groups, and on the whole they’re supportive of the proposed law and feel it’s the right thing to do, though the business community has some stocking-up concerns.
As far as costs businesses and other institutions may incur, Taylor said he’s done some research and found a case of 500 tampons can be purchased for about $60.
Tampons and pads are already available for free in restrooms at all AADL libraries, spokesman Rich Retyi said.
The proposed ordinance requires menstrual products to be openly accessible to restroom users, meaning free.
“As a council, it is imperative that we protect the health and safety of our most vulnerable residents,” Grand, D-3rd Ward, said in a statement, adding lack of access to menstrual products can lead to serious physical and psychosocial outcomes, such as infection and feelings of stigmatization and exclusion.
“No member of our community should have to resort to degrading and unhygienic options,” she said. “While we lack the authority to enact changes to tax policy or command that menstrual products be covered by SNAP, we can take this important step at the local level. I sincerely hope that other communities in Michigan will follow our lead.”
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source: https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/10/ann-arbor-considering-law-to-require-menstrual-products-in-all-public-restrooms.html
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