Free sanitary pads for those who cannot afford them: this is the bill, already approved by Congress, on which Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has vetoed.
The program is part of a larger project on «Menstrual health and promotion» and provides for the free delivery of sanitary pads to low-income students enrolled in public schools, homeless women or women in situations of extreme social vulnerability and women in prison. The measure aims to combat menstrual precariousness – identified as difficulty in accessing or lack of resources to allow the purchase of menstrual hygiene products – and, according to estimates, would help over 5 million women across the country. The assistance would have been entrusted to the Ministry of Health, for a total cost of approximately 53 million dollars, which would be obtained from the resources allocated by the Union to the Unified Health System (SUS) and, in the case of inmates, by the National Penitentiary Fund.
A research, cited by the newspaper The Brazilian Report, reveals that one in four Brazilian adolescents does not have access to sanitary pads or tampons during the menstrual period and that about 20% cannot have water in their home. The result is that the taboo on menstruation often prevents girls from going to school or using public spaces, limiting their job opportunities and damaging them economically. Furthermore, in menstrual hygiene products – which are not classified as essential goods – taxes represent 34% of the total price.
The president approved those steps of the project that oblige the government to promote an information campaign on menstrual health, but vetoed Article 1, which provides for the free distribution of sanitary pads, and Article 3, which establishes the list. of the beneficiaries. In his decree, Bolsonaro disputes the excessive costs of the initiative, declaring that the government does not have the economic resources necessary to finance it. But what attracted criticism was mainly another motivation for the veto, the one that the free distribution of tampons “would be unconstitutional, as it goes against the public interest and favors a specific group” and that tampons “are not in the list of drugs considered essential “.
Jacqueline Moraes, vice-governor of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, publicly replied: “Is it a” privilege “for a poor woman to have the right to a tampon? No! It’s social policy, public health! “
Bolsonaro vetoed the free distribution of tampons on the grounds that “it would be unconstitutional, as it goes against the public interest and favors a specific group”. Is it a “privilege” for a poor woman to be entitled to a tampon? Not! It’s social policy, public health!
— Jacqueline Moraes (@JacqueMoraes_es) October 7, 2021
For Tabata Amara, deputy of the Democratic Labor Party and creator of the proposal, Bolsonaro’s veto is the manifestation of “his contempt for the dignity of vulnerable women and for society’s struggle against menstrual poverty.” So the parliamentarian commented on Twitter, adding “We will overturn the veto and show that Brazil is much better than Bolsonaro!”.
Bolsonaro vetoed the sanitary pads distribution project! In doing so, he shows his contempt for the dignity of vulnerable women and for society’s struggle against menstrual poverty. Let’s overturn the veto and show that Brazil is much better than Bolsonaro! #FreeToMenstruar https://t.co/b8ZoUJ2Am4
— Tabata Amaral (@tabataamaralsp) October 7, 2021
Congress can now decide to maintain or change presidential vetoes. The deadline for this assessment is usually 30 days from the publication of the veto in the Official Gazette, but it is not always respected.