France shakes up laws on access to contraception

Emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill, is to be made available free of charge to all women in France, regardless of age, as part of a program of new sexual health initiatives announced by the country's minister for health.

In an interview in the newspaper 20 Minutes, Francois Braun said he intended to make contraception easier to access, and also wanted to increase screening for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, after screenings fell 30 percent, partly because of the pandemic, and a rise in cases between 2020 and 2021.

Previously, emergency contraception had been free only for minors without a prescription, or for those up to 26 years of age, provided they had one.