Contraceptives to become free of charge in Geneva
Published: Wednesday, Dec 20th 2023, 15:40
Back to Live Feed
In Geneva, contraceptives should be free for everyone. This is the demand of a cantonal legislative initiative launched by the SP. The law would be a first in Switzerland.
The SP submitted the initiative with 6731 signatures, 1200 more than necessary, as the party announced on Wednesday. The initiative should allow every person to choose their contraceptives without economic coercion.
The initiative was launched as part of the campaign for the federal elections. It calls for the state to cover all contraceptive costs in future.
The success of the initiative in collecting signatures is a first step towards recognizing contraception as an important public health issue, wrote the SP. In contrast to most of its neighboring countries, Switzerland is very backward on this issue, said Councillor Jacklean Kalibala.
"It leaves its inhabitants, especially women, fully responsible for paying the costs of their reproductive health," she criticized. Many women were foregoing the most effective methods, such as the IUD, for cost reasons.
The SP is also convinced that making contraception free of charge will also have an impact on the overall costs of the healthcare system that should not be underestimated. Numerous studies have shown that making contraceptives free of charge reduces the risk of unwanted pregnancies and therefore also of abortions, which can be serious procedures with sometimes painful consequences.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic