France to make condoms free for 18- to 25-year-olds

In an attempt to quell the spread of sexually transmitted infections in the country, condoms will be available at no cost to people 18 to 25 years old starting Jan. 1.

Young adults in France will soon be able to get condoms for free.

In an attempt to quell the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the country, condoms will be available at no cost to people 18 to 25 years old, starting Jan. 1, 2023.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the new measure on Thursday at an event discussing young people’s health in Fontaine-le-Comte in western France. He called the move “a small revolution for prevention.”

In recent years, France has seen an uptick in the prevalence of STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhea, the Times reported. The BBC said there was a 30 per cent increase in the rate of STIs across all of France in 2020 and 2021.

Macron said France has a “real issue” in regard to the sexual health and wellbeing of young people. He said many young French people lack sexual education.

He advocated that the country needs “to train our teachers much better on this topic.”

“We need to raise awareness,” he said.

A 2021 survey by HEYME, a student health insurance company, determined more than a quarter of the French youth polled said they “never” or do “not always” use a condom when having sex.