Starting in January 2023, French nationals aged 18 to 25 may go into any drugstore and ask for condoms for free.
It’s part of a nationwide effort to reduce the prevalence of STDs (STIs).
According to the BBC, President Emmanuel Macron, who unveiled the program on Thursday at an event for the health of young people, called it a “little revolution in prevention.”
According to the news site, the free condom program is part of a larger policy in France aimed at reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and increasing access to contraception.
According to reports, the project provides free emergency contraception to all women at pharmacies and free STI examinations without a prescription, except those for HIV, for those under the age of 26.
A 30 percent increase in STI rates throughout France in 2020 and 2021 prompted the new health strategy.
Due to the severity of the S.T.I. epidemic in France, the government has agreed to reimburse citizens for the cost of condoms purchased at pharmacies with a doctor’s or midwife’s prescription.
With the goal of reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted illnesses, the government has made contraception free for all women up to the age of 26 and girls under the age of 18.