Maryland Lawmakers OK Bill On Hygiene Products In Prison

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland lawmakers have approved measures requiring correctional facilities to have free feminine hygiene products available on request for inmates.

Both the House and Senate unanimously passed bills on Thursday.

Diana Philip is the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, a reproductive rights group. She says women who have been incarcerated in the state have said they haven't been able to get the supplies they need.

The measure also requires the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards to review each correctional facility's policy and records relating to menstrual hygiene products during regular inspections.

Other states, including neighboring Virginia, have been considering similar legislation. In August, the Federal Bureau of Prisons issued a memo mandating that feminine hygiene produces be available to all female inmates in federal institutions at no additional cost.

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