Reliance Upon Free Tampons Hurts Human Dignity, Rather Than Helps It

(Source: Flickr)

In the so-called menstrual movement--which, in part, lobbies government and higher education to provide tampons to women at no cost--there is a lot of talk of how free tampons provide women dignity. On PERIOD, Inc.'s website, an organization that encourages universities to provide free tampons in bathrooms, a red button in the center of the page reads, "Click here to give dignity this holiday season." PERIOD's co-founder Nadya Okamoto spoke of her organization's mission for free tampons this way: “We help people with periods feel cared for and dignified simply by addressing this most basic need.”

While in the menstrual movement there is a lot of talk about how free tampons give people dignity, in reality, distribution of free stuff like tampons can actually do more to harm a person's dignity than to help it. Here’s why.

This is because human dignity does not come from a handout, but from having a sustainable way of living that lifts one out of poverty. It is the pride of hard work and personal achievement that give people a sense of dignity, empowerment and security. There is no way that a handout can provide this sense of dignity.

I remember this feeling while tiredly walking to my parent's car when I was young after a long night of baseball practice, during which I successfully gave my best effort. I have also felt it after I scored an "A" after successfully studied for a challenging exam or when I had a productive day at work during a long shift. Dignity comes from earning one's own way in life. It does not come from a free handout that someone else earned.

Another reason handouts do not promote dignity is because, for many people, having to depend upon someone else to take care of parts of one's life for you is embarrassing and injures that person's sense of dignity. Almost everybody wants to be able to provide for themselves. Most people do not want to depend upon other people. Yet, at the same time a handout provides material security to the recipient it injures their sense of dignity because, in order to receive help, the individual, usually a grown adult, has to admit that they could not obtain the product themselves. This admission, in comparison to other adults who do not have this problem, deals a blow to most people's sense of self worth.

Furthermore, while PERIOD may have good intentions to facilitate feminine hygiene products to female students throughout the country, its blanket handouts could have the effect of being the means by which low-income students actually come to have a lower sense of dignity.

Intervention is best when it is tailored to fit each individual and their situation. Rather than blanket product handouts to people in material need, PERIOD supporters who want to promote dignity in their recipients should foster personalized relationships with individuals they help. This way, they can know whether free products is best for that person's long-term development.

Handouts, dependence, relationship-less intervention; these things harm human dignity. Rather, self-reliance, hard work and developing people within relationship, these things are the way people arrive at a new sense of dignity. Any charity worthy its salt will promote these.

Twitter: @jhescock