The right to choice in menstrual products

To:  Heath Commission, Therapeutic Goods Administration

We, The Undersigned, believe that for the health and wellbeing of Australian women, they should be given the opportunity to purchase menstrual cups from stockists within Australia.

Currently, menstrual cups are considered to be "Medical Devices" by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, which prohibits them to be sold in Australia unless they have been approved for sale. Currently only 1 of the 4 brands available for sale have been approved.

The Therapeutic Goods Act (http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/html/determine.htm) has specific definitions of what a "Medical Device" and "Therapeutic Good" is, and under these definitions, menstrual cups do not fit into the category of "Medical devices". Menstruation is not a disease, ailment, defect or injury. Menstrual Cups do not diagnose, prevent, alleviate, cure menstruation, and they do not replace or modify any part of the anatomy.

By requiring the companies that manufacture the menstrual cups to have their products approved by the TGA before they can be sold in Australia (an expensive process), women in Australia are not given enough choice in the menstrual products they use, and it limits the amount of publicity this form of menstrual product can receive.

As tampons are linked to TSS, a potentially fatal condition, women should have the right to seek alternative menstrual products, easily, within Australia, that should not be limited to the one brand that has the financial backing to become approved (which is also the most expensive brand). In a situation such as this, where there are other brands manufactured in different shapes and sizes, consumers should have the right to choose which products they purchase, from brands that offer a slightly different design or size. Having only one brand available for sale in Australia is allowing that one brand to have a monopoly on that product, and does not allow the consumer to have a choice or the advantage of options.

We believe that menstrual cups should not be classified as medical devices, by the fact that they do not fit the definition as defined in the Therapeutic Goods Act. We request that they be removed from the list of Therapeutic Goods, so that they may be sold within Australia.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The The right to choice in menstrual products Petition to Heath Commission, Therapeutic Goods Administration was created by and written by Kelly McCartney (liadan@bigfoot.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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