A draft proposal of changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has excluded period products such as tampons and pads from the list of items covered by the scheme, placing them in the same ‘lifestyle related’ category alongside vapes, video game consoles and event tickets.
This is despite research showing 78 per cent of people on the NDIS who menstruate being unable to afford them. The government is making the determination in a bid to cut almost $30 million in spending in the program.
But opponents of the change argue that it is not only patently unfair, but it will also potentially lead to forced sterilisations in some cases.
Sophie Cusworth, acting chief executive of Women with Disabilities Australia, told The Guardian her organisation was deeply concerned with the disregard for women’s health.
“We’re deeply disappointed as well that they’ve been categorised as lifestyle-related items rather than assistive products for personal care,” she said.
“It goes without saying that menstrual products need to be recognised as material basic needs linked to hygiene, personal care, dignity, health and participation in the community.
“We don’t want to create a situation in which people don’t have access to menstrual products to manage menstruation, and then we see service providers, for instance, not wanting to provide personal care and therefore subjecting people to forced practices.”
What do you think? Especially the men out there, is it fair to class period products in the same category as vapes?
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