Almost all welfare regions in Finland to continue offering free contraception for youth following trial

Almost all welfare regions in Finland will continue to offer free contraception to young people following a recent trial, according to a new evaluation report from the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). The trial, which took place between 2022 and 2023, involved 16 welfare regions and the city of Helsinki. Only South Karelia and Helsinki city have opted not to continue providing free contraception this year.

The initiative aimed to develop sexual health services specifically for individuals under 25. According to THL, during the trial, young people’s access to contraceptive services became more standardized, service availability improved, and previously underserved youth were reached.

“Youths in Finland have faced inequalities in access to contraceptive services,” stated Reija Klemetti, THL’s research manager. “In some municipalities, free contraception has been available for years, while in others, it has been entirely absent or very inconsistent.”

Welfare regions that did not participate in the initial trial have also decided to offer free contraception to either those under 20 or 25. However, THL emphasized that simply providing free contraceptives is not sufficient. The long-term impacts of this initiative cannot yet be thoroughly assessed, as current figures on abortion rates do not reliably reflect the effects of free contraception.

Klemetti noted that free contraceptives must be accompanied by counseling and education on sexual health and fertility to ensure effectiveness. Additionally, throughout the project, welfare regions enhanced professionals’ knowledge about sexuality as part of public health and well-being, with over 2,000 professionals receiving relevant training.