Recent I asked, “Seriously, is there any good or service the left doesn’t want to turn into a welfare program?” Apparently the answer is no. In an op-ed for the Guardian, Jessica Valenti suggests that free tampons are a human right. She concludes, “Why aren’t tampons free?” (Hat tip to the Washington Examiner.)
To answer Valenti’s question, tampons aren’t free because they don’t fall from the sky from the Great Vagina God; someone has to produce them, and that costs money. If a tampon is “free” for one person, that means someone else is paying for it. And if government provides “free” tampons, that means government is forcing someone else to pay for them. Where is the feminist ideal of consent when it comes to forcing others to pay for your stuff?
But much of what Valenti writes makes a lot of sense. She’s right that access to menstrual hygiene products is extremely important, and she’s right that such products should not be subject to sales tax. (Of course, I hold that nothing should be subject to sales tax.)
I want to conclude by switching gears to address a related issue. I didn’t realize it at first, but the very heavy menstruation cycles my wife used to have were not normal. They made her weak and anemic. In fact, as we eventually learned, they were caused by uterine fibroids, non-cancerous growths in the uterus. My wife’s life changed radically for the better when she got fibroid embolization, a procedure performed by Dr. Brooke Spencer of RIA Endovascular. (My wife has given me permission to discuss her case, in the hopes of altering others to the availability of the procedure.) Ladies, if you have debilitating menstruation cycles, I suggest that you consider getting checked for fibroids—and that, if you have them, you explore the option of embolization. (Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or medical professional, and this post does not constitute medical advice.) For details read my report about my wife’s procedure.