Let’s be honest – voulez-vous coucher avec moi might not actually be part of daily French vocabulary, but it does capture something essential about France’s global reputation. Romance, passion, a touch of mystery – and a celebratory embrace of sexuality. From the City of Love to the countryside of cheese and charm, France continues to draw sexual health professionals from around the world who want to understand what happens when public health meets pleasure-positive policy.
And truly, who wouldn’t want to discuss sexual health while sipping a café au lait at a Parisian terrace?
From free STI testing to constitutional protections for abortion, France isn’t just talking about sexual rights; it’s enshrining them in law, practice, and culture. Let’s explore what makes France a fascinating case study for sexual health professionals, and why SHA will be heading there next year for its first-ever France study trip.
Fun Facts: France Has Been Doing It Right (for A While)
Forget “laissez-faire” — France has been laissez-progressive when it comes to sexual rights.
1791: First country to officially decriminalize same-sex sexual activities. (The US didn’t follow suit until 1955 and not officially until 2003)
2003: Began to roll out education protections against homophobia (and transphobia in 2018)
2024: Made history by enshrining abortion rights in the Constitution — the first country in the world to do so, inspired in part by the rollback of Roe v. Wade in the U.S.
And let’s talk about satisfaction – about half of women and 4 in 10 men report being very happy with their sex lives. Since 1992, reports of masturbation, oral sex, and anal sex have all risen. Vive la diversité!
For sexual health professionals, France offers proof that inclusive laws and progressive attitudes aren’t just feel-good policies; they’re measurable determinants of better health outcomes.
Access and Affordability: Making Care Sexy (and Simple)
Public health can be bureaucratic, but in France, it’s beautifully practical.
Contraception: Fully covered by public health insurance for all women up to 25 (since 2022).
STI testing: No prescription required and free for individuals under 26 years
Labs: Testing expanded beyond specialty clinics to walk-in medical labs – because getting screened should be as easy as picking up your morning baguette.
These shifts have made sexual healthcare as routine as a croissant run. And the data backs it up: more testing means more diagnoses, yes, but also greater prevention, awareness, and more responsive public policy.
Testing trends:
At first glance, rising rates of gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia might raise eyebrows. But HIV incidence continues to decline, and the uptick in infections likely reflects expanded screening rather than worsening health outcomes. With more tests come more detections; a sign that France’s strategy is working as intended.
Screening is on the rise:
Gonorrhea testing increased 20% between 2021–2023, with the largest increase among women 50+.
When care is accessible, people use it. And France shows just how effective that can be.
Ever-Evolving Sex Education: From Anatomy to Empathy
France didn’t just invent romance — it’s been teaching it responsibly for decades.
Comprehensive sex education began trickling into schools in the 1960s. By 2001, the government made it mandatory (at least three sessions per year), expanding the focus beyond anatomy to cover consent, equality, and pornography literacy.
Since then, the curriculum has only become more inclusive, addressing homophobia in 2003 and transphobia in 2018.
And now, in September 2025, France is unveiling a fully updated national sex ed curriculum from kindergarten through high school:
Primary school: Students learn to recognize emotions, understand their bodies, and develop empathy and respect — the building blocks of consent.
Secondary school: Teens get lessons on communication, critical thinking, gender equality, online safety, and how to recognize (and refuse) coercion.
France is teaching not just how to prevent STIs, but how to be good partners, lovers, and citizens. It’s an education model that treats pleasure, respect, and equality as public health essentials and we love to see it.
Sexual Rights as Constitutional Rights
France didn’t stop at policy – it put sexual rights in ink.
Its 2001 law guaranteed access to abortion and contraception, and as mentioned earlier, in 2024, that right was officially protected by the Constitution. Meaning: no government can take it away. Ever.
While France is often recognized as a global leader in advancing gender rights, certain policies call this reputation into question. For instance, in the name of secularism, France has banned face coverings such as burqas in public spaces and prohibited hijabs (and now abayas) in schools and even for French athletes competing in the 2024 Olympics. These restrictions raise important questions about the country’s commitment to full gender equality.
When it comes to sex work, France adopted the Nordic model in 2016. Like Iceland, it’s legal to sell sex but illegal to buy it. The intent was to reduce exploitation and enhance protections for sex workers, though the approach remains controversial, with ongoing debates, arrests, and continued risk of violence.
For these reasons, France offers a compelling case study, showing both the promise and the pitfalls of policies designed to protect sexual health and rights. Even when the outcomes are imperfect, the country continues to push forward in safeguarding sexual autonomy and well-being.
The National Strategic Roadmap for Sexual Health (2021–2024)
This roadmap is a forward-thinking plan that integrates prevention, education, care access, and human rights under one national umbrella. It’s all about connection — between ministries, schools, and clinics — ensuring that France’s sexual health system speaks with one clear, inclusive voice.
It also promotes a multidimensional view of sexual health: physical, relational, and social. A reminder that pleasure, safety, and equality all belong in the same sentence. A big piece of this in 2022 was to ensure that contraception was accessible.
Why Sexual Health Professionals Should Look to (And Visit 👀) France
Few countries blend public health pragmatism with passion like France. Its model – grounded in data, law, and empathy – turns sexual health into a shared societal responsibility.
Whether you’re an educator rethinking curriculum, a clinician designing inclusive care, or an advocate fighting stigma, France offers something invaluable: proof that policy can be both effective and elegant.
Want to experience it firsthand?
Join SHA next year for our first trip to France – where sexual health meets croissants, conversation, and cultural exploration.
After all, learning about pleasure-positive policy is always better with wine and cheese.
SHA Study Abroad Trip in Amsterdam
Written by Emma Sell-Goodhand, MPH
Emma is a doctoral student and Global One Health Fellow at North Carolina State University studying adolescent sexual health. She brings prior experience as a Technical Advisor at the World Health Organization.
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