‘Revolution for…’: This country will make condoms free for people aged 18 to 25

France: Health authorities estimate that the rate of STDs increased by about 30% in 2020 and 2021 in France.

French president Emmanuel Macron said that condoms would soon be made available for free for people aged between 18 and 25 years as the country aims to reduce unwanted pregnancies and spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Emmanuel Macron: French President Emmanuel Macron is seen. (AFP)

"In pharmacies, condoms will be free for those aged 18 to 25 from January 1," Emmanuel Macron said. During a health debate with youngsters in Fontaine-le-Comte, a suburb of Poitiers in western France, Emmanuel Macron said,

“It's a small revolution for contraception.”

The plan to make condoms available for free comes after the country began to offer free birth control to all women under 25 years of age under which a scheme targeting below-18s was expanded to ensure that young women did not stop taking contraception if they could not afford it.

“We are not very good on this subject. The reality is very, very different from the theory. It's an area where we need to much better educate our teachers,” Emmanuel Macron said on sexual education in France.

In France, condoms are already reimbursed by national healthcare system if they are prescribed by a doctor or midwife. Health authorities estimate that the rate of STDs increased by about 30% in 2020 and 2021 in France.