As countries continue to navigate COVID-19 protocols, the recent pandemic has raised attention to the other areas of public health that need improvement, specifically public sexual health and education. Having acknowledged the growing issue, France has developed a strategic national plan for sexual health, outlined from 2017 to 2030.. As one of the beginning steps to the plan, the French government recently made condoms and Plan B available for no cost to all youth between the ages of 18-25. The primary purpose of this new policy is to combat the rising number of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and infections, as well as unplanned pregnancies. It is estimated that the rate of diagnosed STDs rose by 30% in the years 2020 and 2021.
As of 2021, 0.3% of France’s population has been diagnosed with HIV. Additionally, France is now providing government-funded STD testing to everyone ages 18-25, in an attempt to curb the rising rates in “young people.” After turning 18, youth do not have as many resources as minors, such as parental support and access to condoms from school, and a majority of people ages 18-25 in France are financially independent with limited access to financial resources. Therefore, the government does not want young people to stop using protection because they cannot access or afford it. One of the earliest steps in the sexual-health initiative, introduced in 2016, included 60% reimbursement for condoms by French national insurance and 100% reimbursement by supplemental insurance if a prescription was given by a midwife or doctor.
Succeeding this, in 2022, the French government made a majority of birth control free for women ages 18-25. Overall, the main goals of the initiative are to “diversify access to STD/STI screening and prevention” and to better educate and promote sexual health “in all environments and at all life stages.” Preeminently, the question is what could this mean for the other countries in the EU and whether they will follow suit. Currently, other countries leading with similar policies relating to sexual health include the UK, Scotland, and Spain. In the UK, contraception methods are free for everyone at pharmacies and sexual health clinics, including access to emergency contraception. In Scotland, period poverty impacts 25% of young menstruating people, so since 2020, period products are free to anyone who needs them.
The law specifically states that menstruation products must be provided with easy access, dignity, and reasonable choice. In 2022, Spain passed a new policy that changed the 2010 law made regarding abortion and contraception. Abortion access was expanded, allowing sixteen and seventeen-year-olds an abortion without the need for parental consent, and the minimum three-day waiting period for all abortions was abolished. Additionally, birth control pills and emergency contraception were made free and available to anyone who needs them. Evidently, conversations surrounding sexual health education are increasing and policy changes are being made. The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked conversations relating to other areas of public health, ultimately emphasizing the need for governments to be proactive regarding preventative medicine.
Story From Emily Haas. More information on the story below
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