A Good Idea. Period.

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“Young girls and women can struggle to pay for monthly sanitary products, this significantly affects their hygiene, health and overall wellbeing.

In fact, stark figures released by Plan Ireland earlier this summer reveal that almost 50% of teenage girls in Ireland struggle to afford monthly sanitary products.

It’s not unheard of that young women may have no choice but to go without sanitary products to make ends meet.

Indeed, some household’s weekly budget cannot stretch far enough to afford the cost of these products; they are luxuries not certainty’s for too many.”

Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lea, of Fianna Fail, suggesting the implementation of a national programme to improve access to sanitary products and promote menstrual hygiene,

Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lea

Vanessa writes:

Finally…

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61 thoughts on “A Good Idea. Period.

  1. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

    Tampons have luxury item VAT on them. Or whatever the technical term is.
    Periods! What a luxury they are.
    *bleeds down leg*
    HEY! I read yesterday that some guys think you can hold period in like weewees.
    Jaykers.

    1. missred

      Do they have VAT here on them? I thought that was just in the UK.

      I have mine currently and want to kill everything in sight.

          1. scottser

            I also believe.that codeine, chocolate and shortland street be universally and freely available to women during their period.

          2. missred

            Scottser: I have the codeine and the chocolate in ravenous abundance. Never got into Shortland Street, too many sheep, dogs and unconvincing bleeding injuries. Probably best not to view those when I’m on shark week

      1. anne

        according to some that’s the collective feminine rising in you, that feels the outrage from centuries of brutality & repression.. or it could just be the hormones.

        I’m thinking there might be something to the brutality & repression.

        1. missred

          My tubes are oppressing me alright, it’s like thorny weeds are coiled around them and I cannot free them from the intense and burning strangulation. So yeah, there’s brutality going on inside me that I need to throttle a few men over

          1. millie st murderlark

            I used to get dreadful periods. I was put on the pill at 14 to try manage them, with mixed success. After I had the mini murderlark, I went for a mirena and it was such a good decision. No periods. Seriously. And minimal pain now. It’s the bizz.

    1. dav

      I always remember a Ben Elton Sketch about what Sanitary Towel adds would be like if Lads had Periods.
      I think it was along the lines of “BodyForm plus” for a man size period” and went on from there….

      1. rotide

        “Just about to stick one in the back of the net and then BOOM, Heavy flow. Wouldnt you know it? Bloody gushing it was”

  2. Martin

    This should happen,
    But sadly Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lea is in the wrong political party, FF don’t like women.

    Very simply this won’t be an idea that Bobby Aylward and the boys will get behind.

  3. rotide

    I’m not against this per se, I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about as I’ve never had to but just to ask the question – what’s the difference here between sanitary products and toilet paper or soap? Should they all be free?

      1. rotide

        I’m not sure I understand the point then.

        It’s asking for ‘universal access to period products”. Since everybody on this island has actual physical access to a shop, I assume she means financial access? If that is the point, then how does this hygeine product differ from all the other hygiene products?

          1. rotide

            If they are, that’s ridiculous alright. Someone above saying they arent though. Someone else saying, so is toilet paper.

          2. Cian

            You are wrong. In Ireland sanitary towels are zero rate VAT. Sanitary tampons and panty liners also Zero rated.

        1. Nigel

          Well you can’t expect to find them free of charge in public access toilets as a matter of course, for a start, unlike toilet roll and soap.

          1. rotide

            That’s a really good point and puts me firmly in the patriarchy because I didn’t think of it.

            They should be included with all other hygiene products. I’m also down with the schools thing.

        2. Cian

          @rotide. If a man (or a woman) can’t afford soap – they can be a bit smelly. Not the end of the world.

          However, if a woman can’t afford tampons, she may be less inclined (or unable) to change an existing tampon and use it for longer than is recommended (about 8 hours according to Google). This can lead to toxic shock syndrome, and death.

          https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxic-shock-syndrome/

    1. Tony

      Look what Rotide is saying is that ladies are basically just men with no winkies and if they get free whatzits for their bottoms then why shouldn’t men get free Gillette Mach3s or tickets to Bohs matches. Fairs fair, it’s the same thing

  4. Brother Barnabas

    not that anyone cares but it’s lorraine clifford lee (not lea). she’s married to john lee who’s the political editor of the mail on sunday.

    ive no comment to make on lorraine’s detractors.

  5. Spaghetti Hoop

    I knew a girl who couldn’t afford a box of tampons because she’d blown all her money on weed. True story.

  6. A Person

    Ah stop, if they are zero tax rated, then surely the pressure must be put on the companies that produce them to reduce the price. And to say that women cannot afford them is a nonsense – show us the proof. Yet another politician spoofing.

  7. Lilly

    I remember an end-of-year student exhibition at the RHA years ago, one of the pieces was a used tampon mounted on a white background with a white frame. I doubt it sold but I presume if it did, the artist’s exemption applied.

    1. Janet, I ate my Avatar

      I remember a ceramics tutor whipping hers out in class in college, slam dunk in the bin, not bad aim

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