Periodproducts, including tampons and sanitary pads, are now free of cost in Scotland to anyone who needs them.
在苏格兰，包括卫生棉条和卫生护垫在内的经期用品现在可以免费提供给任何需要的人。
Starting this week,menstrualproducts will be available in places like pharmacies and community centers, thanks to legislation approved by Scotland's parliament in 2020.
从本周开始，经期用品将由药店和社区中心等地方免费提供，这要感谢苏格兰议会在2020年批准的法规。
"Providing access to free period products is fundamental to equality anddignity, and removes the financial barriers to accessing them," said Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison in a statement, calling the move "more important than ever" in an era of rising costs of living.
社会司法部长肖纳·罗比森在一份声明中说：“提供免费的经期用品是平等和尊严的根本，并消除了获得这些产品的经济障碍。”他称此举在生活成本上升的时代“比以往更重要”。
"Proud of what we have achieved in Scotland. We are the first but won't be the last," said Scottish parliament member Monica Lennon, who began floating the proposal in 2016.
“为我们在苏格兰所取得的成就感到骄傲。我们是第一个，但不会是最后一个。”苏格兰议会议员莫妮卡·列侬如此说道，她在2016年开始提出这一建议。
Awareness has grown in recent years about how access to period products can affect education and economic stability for people who need them.
近年来，对于获得经期用品的方式会如何影响需要它们的人的教育和经济稳定性，人们的认识有所提高。
Scotland is the first country to offer period products free of charge on a national scale. Others, including New Zealand and Kenya, distribute products for free in public schools.
苏格兰是第一个在全域范围内免费提供经期产品的地区，其他国家，包括新西兰和肯尼亚，会在公立学校免费发放经期用品。
In the U.S., a package oftamponsor menstrual pads costs around $7 to $10 for a supply that may last a month or two. (Other products are designed to be reused, like period underwear or menstrual cups, and have a higher upfront cost.) Supply chain disruptions have affected availability and driven up costs.
在美国，一包卫生棉条或卫生巾的价格约为7至10美元，数量可供使用一两个月。（其他产品是为重复使用而设计的，如经期内衣或月经杯，其前期成本较高。）供应链的中断已经影响了供应，并推高了成本。
About 14% of American college students struggle to afford period products, a number higher among Black and Latina women, according to a recent study by George Mason University. And those who regularly struggled to afford them were more likely to experience depression, researchers found.
根据乔治梅森大学最近的一项研究，大约14%的美国大学生难以负担经期用品，在黑人和拉丁裔女性中这一数字更高。研究人员发现，那些经常为购买经期用品而挣扎的人更有可能经历抑郁症。
Women who struggle to afford basic necessities may choose to skip the cost of a box of tampons, turning to toilet paper or socks instead. A survey oflow-incomewomen in St. Louis published in 2019 found that nearly half reported having to choose between food and menstrual products at some point during the year. Assistance programs like SNAP and WIC generally do not cover the cost of period products.
挣扎着负担基本必需品的妇女可能会选择不为一盒卫生棉条买单，转而使用卫生纸或袜子。2019年发表的一项针对圣路易斯低收入妇女的调查发现，近一半的人报告说，在一年中的某个时候，不得不在食品和经期用品之间做出选择。SNAP（补充营养援助项目）和WIC（妇女、婴儿和特别补充营养计划）等援助计划一般不包括经期用品的费用。
Research has shown that a lack of access to period products can cause women and girls to miss school or work.
研究表明，无法获得经期用品会导致妇女和女孩错过上学或工作的机会。
"Imagine trying to take a math test being so scared that you're going to have an accident," said Dr. Shelby Davies at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, speaking in an interview with NPR last year. "Like, how do you focus on that?"
费城儿童医院的谢尔比·戴维斯博士去年在接受美国国家公共广播电台采访时说：“想象一下，如果你想参加数学考试，却非常害怕你随时会来月经，那你怎么能专注于这场考试？"
Toilet paper and soap are provided for free in public restrooms, advocates say, so why not period products?
倡导者说，公共厕所里免费提供卫生纸和肥皂，那么为什么不提供经期用品呢？
In the U.S., some states have passed legislation requiring public K-12 schools to provide period products free of cost, including New York, Virginia and Oregon. About a dozen states have exempted period products from sales tax.
在美国，一些州已经通过立法要求公立K-12学校免费提供经期用品，包括纽约、弗吉尼亚和俄勒冈。大约十几个州已经免除了经期用品的销售税。
At the federal level, New York Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat, introduced legislation last year that would require Medicaid to cover period products, along with providing grants and other assistance to improve access in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, public federal buildings and incarceration facilities. The bill remains in committee.
在联邦层面，民主党纽约州议员孟昭文去年提出法案，要求医疗补助计划涵盖经期产品，同时提供赠款和其他援助，以改善K-12学校、高等学校、联邦公共建筑和监禁设施的使用。该法案仍在委员会审议中。
Key points：
1. period / ˈpɪəriəd / n.一段时间，时期；（妇女的）月经，经期
When did you last have a period ?
你上一次月经是什么时候？
2.menstrual / ˈmenstruəl / adj.月经的；每月的；一月一次的
The average length of a woman's menstrual cycle is 28 days.
妇女的平均月经周期是28天。
3.dignity / ˈdɪɡnəti / n.尊严，自尊；庄严，端庄，庄重
He had been robbed of his dignity.
他已失去了尊严。
4.tampons / ˈtæmpɒn / n.棉塞，卫生棉条，止血棉塞
Let her choose whether she prefers a pad or a tampon.
让她选择，看她是喜欢使用护垫还是棉条。
5.low-income 低收入
It is highly debatable whether conditions have improved for low-income families.
低收入家庭的生活状况是否已得到改善是一个颇有争议的问题。
*文章摘自National Public Radio:Scotland becomes the first country to offer tampons and pads for free, officials say