Free condoms are being given to young people in France. The government of President Emmanuel Macron has implemented the new public health plan from January 1. Under this, the youth of the country and people up to the age of 25 years will be able to buy condoms for free from any drug store across France. Its purpose is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. It was said on behalf of the government that this decision has been taken for better protection of public health.
Under this new policy, young people can also get contraceptives called ‘preservatives’ or ‘capotes’ for free from drug stores. President Macron’s government announced this policy last month. Following the announcement, President Macron was criticized for not including minors among the beneficiaries of the scheme. However, it was also pointed out that many girls get pregnant unknowingly, this step is necessary from the point of view of their health.
President said – good work on sex education is necessary
While announcing the policy, President Macron said that as far as sex education is concerned, France is not doing a good job in this area. “The reality is very different from the theories. In this area, we need to train our teachers well and re-sensitize them towards this issue.
Birth control pills free for young women
Medical facilities such as birth control pills and IUDs have already been free for young women in France for the past year. Earlier, any doctor could prescribe birth control pills only to girls below the age of 18 years. However, later the government expanded the scope of this facility and now all women below 25 years of age will get contraceptive pills free of cost.
15% of HIV infected are under 26 years of age
The number of HIV infection cases in France is expected to remain stable at around 5,000 in 2022. According to an estimate by the country’s Department of Public Health, 15 percent of people living with HIV in 2021 were under the age of 26. Many more such figures came to the fore, which started a debate on the prevention of sexual diseases of minors in the country. At the same time, there was a demand from the government to take steps in this direction.
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