By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

SPOUSE of the Prime Minister Ann Marie Davis says her office will expand access to a wider range of menstrual products across the country amid growing calls for affordability and choice.

Mrs Davis made the announcement after the launch of the D6 Project documentary earlier this week, saying efforts are underway to introduce menstrual cups and period underwear to better meet the needs of women and girls.

“Absolutely, I agree we do need some more diversity,” she said. “We definitely need the menstrual cups and the underwear.”

She explained that her office is considering the new options to accommodate different users, from students involved in school swimming programmes to elderly women in care facilities. She said period underwear, in particular, would be better suited for older women and promote dignity in personal care.

“The underwear will be more conducive to the elderly in their homes,” Mrs Davis said. “We have to be dignified in everything we do. We have to have the proper supplies and be well prepared for all the different occasions that face us. Our young ladies and women must be given the choice of what is better for them.”

The renewed focus follows mounting advocacy from Equality Bahamas, which last week urged the government to tackle the high cost and limited variety of feminine hygiene products. The group, led by Alicia Wallace, recommended tax exemptions, local manufacturing, and greater availability of reusable alternatives such as cups and period underwear.

Mrs Davis previously launched a national feminine hygiene product distribution initiative through her office in June. At that launch, she described menstrual health as a matter of equality and dignity, saying access to sanitary items “is not a privilege, but a fundamental right.”

She said her office continues to receive widespread requests for more assistance and plans to ensure women, regardless of income or location, have access to affordable menstrual supplies and the ability to choose what works best for them.

“We have to diversify in how we prepare ourselves,” Mrs Davis said. “We are diversifying in every other way, and we have to do the same for menstrual care.”