Until then, only girls aged 15 and over could have their contraception fully paid for. The costs of contraception for young girls under 15 will now also be covered 100% by Medicare, according to a decree published on Thursday August 27 in Official newspaper.
Included in the Social Security budget for 2020, this measure remained suspended from the publication of this decree, which will come into force on Friday. Minors under the age of 15 will no longer have to pay the ” user fees “ for consultations with doctors or midwives, biological examinations, drugs and contraceptive devices.
Allow a reduction in abortions
To justify the extension to under 15s, the government announced at the end of 2019 that “Every year, nearly 1,000 young girls aged 12 to 14 are pregnant in France” and “Among these pregnancies, 770 ended with an abortion (Abortion) ». For young girls between 15 and 18 years old, who already have access to free contraception, the rate of abortion has since dropped significantly, from 9.5 to 6 per 1,000 between 2012 and 2018.
Until today, under 15s had to “Support financially” the cost of contraceptives, medical consultations and any biological examinations, “Which can constitute a brake (…) for audiences often in fragile situations ”.
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