The Spanish government will offer women with severe period pain menstrual leave for three days per month under the new proposed legislation, set to pass next week.
The new reproductive health measures were first reported by Spanish radio station Cadena SER on Wednesday and will allow women to take time off from employment when experiencing unbearable menstrual pain.
In addition, the bill proposes other plans including educational institutions providing sanitary products for girls, women in prison having access to feminine hygiene products, and the ability for girls aged 16-17 to have an abortion without parental permission, according to CNBC.
The reform package is set to be approved by the Spanish government on Tuesday. If the bill is passed, Spain will become the first Western nation to offer menstrual leave. It is already a norm in other nations such as Japan, South Korea, and Zambia.
The Secretary of State for Equality and against Gender Violence, Ángela Rodríguez, announced the package of measures for women and young girls.
"The rights related to menstrual health have never been discussed and the data is chilling," Rodríguez told El Periodico.
"One in four women cannot choose the feminine hygiene products she wants to buy for financial reasons. That is why we propose that they can be dispensed free of charge in educational and social centers."
Rodríguez noted that time off is aimed at women with severe period pain that cannot be solved medically: "It is important to clarify what a painful period is, we are not talking about a slight discomfort, but about serious symptoms such as diarrhea, severe headaches, fever."
"Symptoms that when there is a disease that entails them, a temporary disability is granted, therefore the same should happen with menstruation and that there is the possibility that if a woman has a very painful period, she can stay home," she added.
The reform will also include free sanitary pads and tampons for women with marginalized social circumstances, and the VAT will be removed from their sale price in supermarkets.
Per Daily Mail, Rodríguez has announced plans for Spain to be a leading country in developing the male contraceptive pill. According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, human trials could begin as soon as July.
The Spanish government also plans to pass a law targeting the trafficking of women for prostitution.
