Girls have cooties.
In what should be filed under "I can't believe this hasn't been a standard in high schools everywhere forever", a high school in Queens, New York, will be at the forefront of a no-brainer
women's health initiative:
The initiative is led by New York City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, who is drafting legislation to distribute free products at all public schools, public buildings, homeless shelters and prisons.
The pilot program at the High School for Arts and Business in Corona, Queens, will dispense free tampons and pads for the entire school year. HOSPECO, a vendor of feminine hygiene products, is donating the machine.
Ferreras said she wants to help remove the stigma surrounding menstruation, and help girls whose families struggle to afford expensive menstrual products. One box of pads from a drugstore can cost up to $20.
Next thing you know, these kids are going to want free water fountains in their schools. Lazy good-for-nothings. $20 for tampons is pretty steep, begging the question how come a clear public health device made (predominantly out of cotton) should cost so much?
Experts say that a persistent stigma surrounding menstruation is due, in part, to a lack of information. Ferraras also hopes to work with the city’s education department to include more education about menstruation in public schools. “We can’t talk about girls’ anatomy without first talking about a young woman’s cycle,” Ferreras said. “That’s really something that’s glossed over. We need to spend more time on the topic.”
The facts still remain. Girls have cooties. The more we do to reinforce the concept that girls have cooties, the better chance men like myself have of not catching cooties.