France's president announces free condoms for 18- to 25-year-olds

'A small revolution for contraception'

In an attempt to reduce unwanted pregnancies among young people,

the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said condoms will be

made available for free in pharmacies for 18- to 25-year-olds.

The move comes after the government began offering free birth control for all women under 25 this year, expanding

a scheme targeting under-18s to ensure young women do not stop taking contraception because they cannot afford it.

Emmanuel Macron speaking during a territorial session

of the National Council for Refoundation on health (CNR)

in Fontaine-le-Comte.

Announcing the decision during

a health debate with young people in Fontaine-le-Comte, a suburb of Poitiers in western France, Macron described it as "a small revolution for contraception,” but warned that there was still work

to do on sexual education overall.

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.