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Contraception for young women aged 18-25 will be free from tomorrow, Saturday, in France with the measure affecting almost 3 million young women in the country.
France's Health Minister Olivier Veran announced the measure in September, highlighting that contraception is registering a decline among young women and pointing out that the primary motivation is refusal for financial reasons.
A situation also noted by the spokeswoman of the feminist organisation En avant toutes, Louise Delavier: between 18 and 25, women are very vulnerable, as they lose many rights compared to when they were minors and are very insecure financially, she explained to Agence France-Presse.
Contraception for underage girls is already free in France. According to the health ministry, it will be free for women aged 18-25: one visit a year with a doctor or midwife, the relevant blood tests, as well as contraceptive methods. But for Leslie Foncern, a sociologist specialising in gender issues, this measure in no way resolves the imbalance in the burden of contraception between women and men.
An argument shared by Sarah Durocher, co-president of the Planning familial movement, who advocates a sex education for all genders.
Sex education is key to enabling young people to be aware of their rights and to know or access their rights, whether it is on issues of contraception, abortion, violence or consent.
The ranking of the European Parliamentary Forum on Sex and Reproductive Rights (EPF), which assesses access to modern, effective and affordable contraception in Europe, places France in second place for Contraception in 2020 (behind Belgium).
\NPoland remains the worst performer in Europe. Although nearly 60% of women of reproductive age in Europe use a form of contraception, 35% of pregnancies in Europe are considered unplanned, the Forum notes.
Source: CNA
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