For low-paid women: Free contraception required

    

    

Doctors newspaper online, 10.09.2019

    

        
        
        

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For low-paid women

Many women with little money can not afford contraceptives such as pill or spiral. The consulting association "profamilia" therefore demands that the costs be borne.

By Thomas Hommel

A contraceptive of choice is often not affordable for low-income women, according to the "pro familia" association

© womue / Fotolia

BERLIN. The counseling association pro familia has called for free access to contraceptives for low-income women.

It needs a legal claim to the assumption of cost of medically prescribed contraceptives, said the chairman of the Federal Association "pro familia", Dörte Frank-Boegner, at the presentation of the results of the model project "biko" on Tuesday in Berlin.

Family planning is not possible without access to contraceptives. However, family planning is a human right.

6100 requests for reimbursement

As part of the "biko" project launched in October 2016, women in a total of seven German cities will be reimbursed for the costs of contraceptives if they have previously applied for and receive advice. The condition is that the women are older than 22 years and receive social benefits, or their income is below the poverty line.

The project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) for a term of three years. The goal is to provide low-threshold access to safe, paid contraceptives for needy women, so Frank-Boegner.

In addition, the project should provide valid data to determine the need for a nationwide solution to free access to contraceptives. According to the information provided, more than 6100 requests were submitted for reimbursement under "biko". Nearly 4,500 of these were granted a positive result.

Compensation may not be a question of the purse

The Parliamentary State Secretary in the BMFSFJ, Caren Marks (SPD), said that contraception should be "not a question of the purse". De facto she is. Many low-income women sometimes face the choice: satchels or spirals?

Others tried to save on prevention costs by "stretching" the pill and taking it at longer intervals. "But then a safe contraception is no longer guaranteed."

In Germany, hormonal contraceptives such as pill, mini-pill or hormone spiral on a doctor's prescription. However, they have to be paid by most women themselves. For women under the age of 22, the health insurance company has been paying the costs since March 2019.

Various studies have shown that women change their contraceptive behavior if they can not bear the costs, said "pro familia" chairman Frank-Boegner. This could lead to unwanted pregnancies, even though women consider contraception important.

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