Ann Arbor, Mich., will require all public restrooms to carry menstrual products

Ann Arbor will require all public restrooms in the city to carry menstrual products under a new ordinance that takes effect in January.

It means pads and tampons, as well as soap and toilet paper, will have to be available for free in every public restroom throughout the Michigan city.

"We as a society, for too long, have not taken menstruation seriously," Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor told NPR. "Access to menstrual products is a fundamental human necessity."

Some U.S. states and cities already supply free menstrual products at certain locations, such as school and homeless shelters, but Taylor said he believes Ann Arbor is the first jurisdiction to require them in all public restrooms.

"It's a matter of equity and personal dignity," he said. "I'm just glad that we were able to provide a public good at a low cost."

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/18/1056964746/ann-arbor-michigan-tampons-menstrual-products