“We found that there is a decline of contraceptive use for young women, and enquiries have shown that the primary reason is often a financial one”, announced Minister of Solidarity and Health Olivier Véran. “Charges for consultations, hormonal contraceptives, and all concomitant treatments will now be covered until the age of 25.”
The change will come into effect on 1 January next year and is expected to cost the French government an estimated €21 million annually. The bar of 25 years was chosen based on economic, social, and income factors. Furthermore, it is tied to the average age of people leaving their parents insurance programmes.
As of 2013, free contraception had already been guaranteed for women between the age of 15 and 18. Abortion rates significantly declined during that period, decreasing from 9.5 to 6 cases per 1,000 women between 2012 and 2018.
Since August 2020, the measure has also been extended to girls younger than 15. To justify this change, the French government conveyed that “every year, close to 1,000 young girls aged 12 to 14 get pregnant, out of which 70% end in abortions.”
