Boston Council Supports The I Am Bill

Press release from the City of Boston:

April 30, 2021

The state legislation would provide free menstrual products to all menstruating persons in Massachusetts prisons, homeless shelters, and public schools.

In 2018, the Council passed a budget which included funding for a free menstrual products pilot in 77 Boston Public Schools. The I AM bill, H.2354 & S.1445: An Act to Increase Access to Disposable Menstrual Products in Prisons, Homeless Shelters and Public Schools, is a state legislation that will provide free menstrual products to all menstruating persons in Massachusetts prisons, homeless shelters, and public schools, including elementary schools.

In a 2019 survey published in the Journal of Women's Reproductive Health, lack of access to menstrual products lead to students missing school, having been late to school, and leaving school early.

The I AM bill was first introduced to the State Legislature last session, but passage was largely delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, the Council adopted a resolution supporting the passage of the bill.

This press release was produced by the City of Boston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.