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Free condoms for vulnerable young people before the end of the year
The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has confirmed that before the end of the year, condoms will be made free for adolescents and young people aged between 14 and 22 with fewer resources.
The measure, which will be distributed through pharmacies, forms part of the plan against the growing epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
García explained at a Europa Press information breakfast that the proposal had been pending for some time because of a lack of funding, but would now be activated in “the coming months”. She stressed that condom use is falling despite being the only contraceptive method that protects against STIs, and that the measure seeks to reverse this trend.
In addition, the minister announced that the report on the Organic Law on sexual and reproductive health and voluntary termination of pregnancy will shortly be published. Among other issues, it will assess whether abortions are being carried out in public hospitals, an obligation that is scarcely fulfilled in communities such as Madrid.
The initiative for free condoms joins other legislative proposals promoted by the Ministry of Health, such as the new law against alcohol consumption by minors and the reform of the anti-smoking law, both aimed at strengthening public health and prevention.