The move comes as the government reports an increase in sexually transmitted diseases among young people...
Digital Desk: France is going to make condoms free in pharmacies for anyone up to the age of 25 in the new year, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday.
The move comes as the government reports an increase in sexually transmitted diseases among young people, and as this year's unprecedented inflation is wreaking havoc on the budgets of France's poorest citizens.
In France, girls and women aged 25 and under can already get free birth control as part of the government's attempts to ensure that young people of all financial levels can avoid unplanned births.
However, existing policies do not extend to men or particularly address access for transgender or nonbinary persons.
Macron announced on Thursday that, from January 1, condoms would be free in pharmacies for anyone aged 18 to 25. However, the president agreed to broaden the program after being questioned on social media on Friday by a French TV host and others about why the condom measure did not cover minors.
"Let's do it," Macron said in a selfie video that he shot from the sidelines of a summit in Spain. He later tweeted, "A lot of minors also have sex ... They need to protect themselves too."
Macron, France's youngest-ever president when he took office in 2017 at the age of 39, has promised increased measures to prevent and test for HIV and other sexually transmitted viruses.
The French state health care system covers some but not all birth control expenditures, and doctor consultations for low-income individuals frequently involve long waits. Everyone in France is entitled to free abortions.
