France to make birth control free for women aged 18-25

Paris, Jan 01: Starting in the new year, birth control will be available to women in France between the ages of 18 to 25 free of charge, expanding an existing program for minors that seeks to prevent unwanted pregnancies due to the cost of birth control.

French officials believe up to three million women could benefit from enhanced access to the pill, IUDs, contraceptive patches and the jab.

The expansion of access was announced back in September after surveys showed teens were not using contraceptives as much due to it not being affordable.

"As of January 1, 2022, the health insurance system will cover the cost of contraception and related procedures (annual consultation with a doctor or midwife, and biological tests) without advance payment," the health ministry said in a statement.

Women 'very vulnerable' at young age

French teens already had free access to contraceptives, as is the case in several other European countries such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway.

In the UK, contraception is free for all ages.

"Between 18 and 25-years-old, women are very vulnerable because they lose a lot of rights compared to when they were minors and are very precarious economically," a spokeswoman for the French women's rights group En Avant Tous, Louise Delavier, told the AFP news agency.

Leslie Fonquerne, a sociologist focused on gender issues, told AFP the measure was a start but "in no way resolves the imbalance in the contraceptive burden between women and men."

Source: DW