Free long-term contraceptives for women and people who can get pregnant under 30

The Catalan government is to guarantee access to free, long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) for women and people who can get pregnant up to the age of 29. 

The measure was announced jointly by the departments of health and equality on Monday as they presented an action plan to improve access to birth control in Catalonia. 

Access will be extended to people over 29 who are deemed to be in a vulnerable situation or who need contraceptives for clinical reasons. 

The government hopes the measure will be rolled out universally over the next four years, "benefiting more than 600,000 people," health minister Manel Balcells explained. 

Equality minister Tània Verge said the plan will guarantee "autonomy" in family planning. 

IUD and contraceptive implant 

The two birth control methods that will be made available for free are the copper IUD (intrauterine device) and the subdermal contraceptive implant, two options that are "safe, easy to insert, with few side effects and with good patient compliance," according to gynecologist Elisabet Grau. 

IUDs, also known as copper coils, last for approximately five years and cost €100. The contraceptive implant lasts for three years and costs €60. 

Women and other people who can get pregnant who wish to avail of the measure can do so through one of the 45 ASSIRs (Sexual and Reproductive Health Centers) throughout Catalonia. 

Although for the moment LARCs will be available for free for three specific groups of people – those up to 29 years old, those in a vulnerable situation, and those who have had an abortion – the plan is for the measure to be rolled out to all over the next four years. 

"For all people who can pregnant, up to the age of 40 or whatever age is necessary," Verge said, "this is improving women's health, guaranteeing the right to one's own body, and that means deciding whether we want to have children or not, when we want to have them, to be able to better plan pregnancies and avoid unwanted pregnancies."  

The minister also emphasized that the birth control methods are "effective" and allow gender equality to advance. 

"The cost is usually paid by women, and in the context of the increasing cost of living, gradually making this free of charge will allow significant financial savings for couples and families as a whole," she said. 

It is a "pioneering" and "leading measure" for social and reproductive rights in Catalonia, Verge added, while Balcell described it as a "reference for Europe." 

"This year we will allocate more than €1m," the health minister said.