JHearing freely about one’s sexuality, without danger or violence, without fear of an unintended pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI) is a key health issue, at the heart of Sexual Health Weekfrom June 5 to 11.
Launched by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, this national campaign to promote sexual health, recent and still little known, nevertheless imposes itself as a necessity. At Doctors of the World, we note that access to reliable and non-judgemental information, as well as to prevention and care services to live well and understand one’s sexuality remains a major challenge in France. Especially for the most precarious.
A general vaccination campaign against the papillomavirus is planned for the start of the 2023 school year among adolescents. The parliamentarians and the President of the Republic expressed themselves in favor of the inclusion of voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) in the Constitution.
Multiple Obstacles
The deadline for resorting to it has been extended from 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. Measures have been announced to facilitate access to STI screening and contraception, in particular for emergency contraception which is now available in pharmacies, without a prescription and free of charge for all people with health insurance.
So why are we concerned? There is a gap between this ambitious framework and reality. In France, if you want to take care of your body, your sexuality and your health, you are now faced with multiple obstacles: lack of information on existing services, closure of maternity wards and places practicing abortion , high cost of a gynecological consultation and delays of up to several months to obtain an appointment. In addition, some health professionals sometimes adopt discriminatory and judgmental attitudes, or violent practices towards their patients.
If access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is not effective for the entire population, at Doctors of the World we find that it is even less so for the most precarious people. The people we support on a daily basis are often stigmatized, discriminated against and repressed. Overexposed to violence, to the risk of HIV and hepatitis infections, as well as to unintended pregnancies, they all have one thing in common: access to the health system is difficult, if not impossible, for them.
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