Access to emergency contraception or the morning-after pill will become free for all women, regardless of age, in pharmacies and without a prescription, Health Minister Francois Brown said in an online interview published on September 20. per day 20 minutes.
STD screening will also be free and over-the-counter until the age of 26, and these two measures will be included in the 2023 Social Security Funding Bill, which will be presented to the Council of Ministers on 26 September.
“Regarding women’s contraception, we strengthen (…) women’s protection by facilitating their access to emergency contraception (or morning after) in pharmacies, free of charge and without a prescription, at any age.“, Francois Brown declares. Until now, the morning-after pill was available free and without a prescription only to minors from pharmacies, school nurses or screening or sexual health centers, and to adult students.
For adults, the cost in pharmacies ranged from 3 to about twenty euros, depending on the medication, with the possibility of partial insurance by social security upon presentation of a prescription. As for STI screening, only HIV has been free so far. “From now on, the possibility of screening will be extended to all sexually transmitted infections in order to fight the resurgence of infections as soon as possible.– explains the minister.
Francois Brown indeed states that “an increase in sexually transmitted infections, particularly chlamydia and gonococcus” and believes that “all areas of prevention must be improved“because”France lags behind other European countries. Only 2% of our budget is allocated to prevention, compared to 4% of our neighbors“. As for the reasons, then.it’s very complicatedto recognize them, he admits, meaning “lack of prevention, information or more general relaxation“.
Source: Le Figaro