Free contraception to be extended for women up to the age of 35

The Minister for Health is planning to further expand the free contraception scheme.

Under the new plans, all women aged 35 and under will soon be able to get free contraception directly from their local pharmacy, without a prescription from their GP.

A doctor’s prescription will still be required for free contraception for some time, until pharmacies are granted the ability to prescribe the pill directly. However, GP visit fees are covered by the State under the scheme.

Included in the funding, the State covers the full cost of the contraceptive pill and the fitting and removal of other long-acting contraceptive devices. The scheme also includes injections, check-ups and emergency contraception.

It has been reported that Stephen Donnelly intends to introduce the updated free contraception plans this summer, and that he will announce his plans at the Fianna Fáil ard fheis this weekend.

The free contraception scheme was initially launched by the Government in September 2022 to women aged 15-25. At the time, women’s health advocates argued that the scheme needed to be accessible to a wider age range. 

The scheme has since been extended in several phases, with women aged 30 and under gaining access from September 2023, and women aged 31 and under more recently.

The free contraception scheme has been reported to receive a healthy uptake so far, with figures from the Department of Health noting that almost 200,000 ­women accessed the programme last year.

The updated measure has been included in the Government’s new Women’s Health Action Plan, which is due to be launched next week.

The first version of the plan was launched in 2022, which included the opening of six specialist menopause clinics, six fertility hubs, two specialist endometriosis centres and 16 same-day see-and-treat gynaecology clinics.