Tentative Steps in the Right Direction: Free Birth Control in France for Women Under 25
By: Abigail Bromberger
With so much negative information and news about reproductive rights, it’s easy to get discouraged. Yet in reality, there are many small successes that are important to celebrate as strongly and enthusiastically as our fight for more. Since January 1st, 2022, birth control has been free in France for all women and girls under 25.
The history of contraception in France is fraught with controversial laws and long standstills on legislation. Contraception (in this case, birth control pills for women) was first legalized in France in late 1967. It was a highly contested law, receiving high amounts of public debate and barely passing through both houses of Parliament. This was due to the fact that, on the one hand, contraception was not free and minors (at the time, women under 21) required parental consent to obtain the pills, displeasing progressive members of Parliament, while on the other hand, more conservative lawmakers still pushed back strongly due to the nature of the law. However, despite its obstacles, the act known as The Act of December 28, 1967, passed. Over the next 7 years, various decrees were proposed, voted on, and passed. Many of these decrees made it easier for women to gain access to birth control, while many still made it more difficult. Finally, in 1974, The Act of December 4, 1974, made it possible for minors to be prescribed free birth control without parental consent. This allowance for confidentiality saved thousands of lives. Between 1967 and 1980, French contraception use increased significantly and resulted in fewer unwanted births. In 1999, the morning after pill was made available in pharmacies without prescription, another win for the women of France.
In September of 2021, the Health Minister of France, Olivier Véran, announced that the French government would provide all women and girls under 25 with free contraception starting in 2022. Though Plan B has been invented since the passage of the original contraception act, and IUD use has become more common, neither one is included in this new legislation; it is restricted to birth control pills. According to studies done by his department, contraception use has decreased recently, mostly because of financial reasons. “It’s intolerable that women aren’t able to protect themselves, aren’t able to use contraception if they make that choice, because it would cost too much,” Véran said. This decision will cost the government about 21 million euros. When asked about the 25-year cutoff, Véran said that at 25, children are no longer covered by their parents’ complementary health services, so it presented a natural age marker. He also cited developmental reasons, stating that 25 corresponds to an age of more autonomy.
Before 2022, the French healthcare system covered some contraception costs, but not all of them. Abortions were, and still are, free for all women and girls in France. The announcement did not mention transgender or nonbinary people, so it remains unclear whether this healthcare will be available to them. Meanwhile, Leslie Fonquerne, a gender issues specialist, declared: “This measure in no way resolves the imbalance in the contraceptive burden between women and men.” Some people are worried that this measure, while it is absolutely progress, will put more pressure on women to be responsible for all contraception. Conversations about accountability and male contraception, like condoms, have spiked throughout the country. Céline Caron, a French college student, mused: “In the end, the responsibility for contraception will fall even more on women who can be told that they have no reason not to take the pill.”
That being said, young women in France rejoice at the privileges that come with this change and experts predict that we will see a decrease in unwanted pregnancies and births, just as we saw in 1967 when The Act of December 28, 1967 was passed. This change comes at a time when reproductive and abortion rights are under attack around the globe. The Texas abortion laws and Poland’s near-complete ban on abortion loom large, but this is a success that will have positive implications for years to come.
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/09/france-free-contraception-women