france will distribute free condoms to stop rise in stis

sti rates are seeing a major rise in france, as they are in canada.

by maija kappler

published dec 09, 2022

2 minute read

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2 minute read

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france distributing free condoms to young people

people in france between the ages of 18 and 25 can now get condoms for free. getty

the french government will provide free condoms to young people in an attempt to stem the country’s rising rates of sexually-transmitted infections (stis) as well us unintended pregnancies. “it’s a small revolution for contraception,” french president emmanuel macron said during a debate in fontaine-le-comte, a suburb in western france.

starting jan. 1, the program will allow people between the ages of 18 and 25 to access free condoms at pharmacies throughout the country, agence france-presse reported. france’s health care system currently reimburses the cost of condoms if they’ve been prescribed by a doctor or midwife, but their presence at pharmacies will make them more accessible.

emergency contraception will also be free at pharmacies, macron elaborated on twitter. sti screenings will also be made available free of charge and without a prescription to anyone under the age of 26 (with the exception of hiv screenings).

france experienced a 30 per cent rise in sti rates between 2020 and 2021, bbc news reported.

when it comes to sexual health and education, “we are not very good on this subject,” macron said. “the reality is very, very different from the theory.”

these new initiatives come on the heels of a measure that saw france expanding access to free contraception. it had previously been available for free to women and girls 18 and under, but as of april, the maximum age was raised to 26 — a move than impacted three million women.

many sti rates are also increasing in canada. over the last decade, chlamydia rates have increased by 33 per cent, gonorrhea rates have increased by 182 per cent, and infectious syphilis rates have increased by 393 per cent, according to the public health agency of canada.

one likely reason is a decline in condom use. pre-pandemic, the percentage of young sexually-active people who said they never used condoms was 16 per cent. but by mid-2022, that number had doubled to 32 per cent, according to youth charity group letsstopaids.

maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing.

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