Framingham Looks To Provide Free Menstrual Products

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story stated a vote could take place at a City Council meeting on May 20. The meeting date was changed to May 18, and this item is not on the agenda.

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham may soon move to acknowledge that menstrual products are as necessary in bathrooms as toilet paper and running water.

The City Council could soon take initial vote on an ordinance that would require the city-controlled restrooms to provide menstrual products like tampons and pads for free.

The ordinance grew out of Framingham's Youth Council, which began discussing the issue in January. District 8 City Councilor John Stefanini's Ordinance & Rules Subcommittee took up the issue at the end of April, with Councilors voting to recommend full passage of the ordinance.

There's a larger movement in the U.S. to provide menstrual products for free in public restrooms — which advocates say are no less important than seat covers or hand soap. People who need pads and tampons often need them at a moment's notice, according the group Free the Tampons.

Massachusetts is slightly ahead of the movement. The state is one of 14 that have eliminated sales taxes on menstrual products. But Massachusetts is still one of 45 states that don't provide the products for public school students. New York and New Hampshire do, however.

Framingham's ordinance would only apply to municipal restrooms, not bathrooms maintained by private businesses. The proposed ordinance would also require dispensers to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.