Section 2: Emergency contraception in secondary education establishments and university and inter-university student health services

The conditions under which emergency contraception not subject to compulsory prescription may be administered to day and boarding pupils in secondary education establishments, in application of the provisions of the second paragraph of I of article L. 5134-1, are set out in this section. In order to comply with these provisions, it is up to these establishments to adapt their operating methods accordingly.

The emergency contraception determined in article D. 5134-5 may be administered by nurses attached to an establishment with premises where confidentiality can be respected.

The decision to administer emergency contraception is preceded by an interview with the student, whether she is a minor or an adult. The purpose of this interview is to enable the nurse to assess whether the student’s situation corresponds to the cases of emergency mentioned in the third paragraph of I of article L. 5134-1. The medicinal product is administered in accordance with the conditions of use laid down in…

The nurse will seek out the most appropriate methods, depending on the age and personality of the pupil, in order to inform her of the various possibilities for emergency contraception and to point her in the direction of existing facilities for obtaining such medication: pharmacy, planning centre or family education centre. The nurse may administer emergency contraception to the student concerned in order to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. The nurse…

The administration of this medication is recorded in writing by the nurse, dated and signed in the “nurse’s notebook” or another document provided for this purpose in the school. At the end of each school year, the nurse, regardless of the school in which he or she works, will draw up and send a report to the technical adviser to the education inspector for schools under the authority of the…

The nurse will organise follow-up for each pupil to whom emergency contraception has been administered. In all cases, it is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure that the pupil receives psychological support and medical follow-up from a planning or family education centre, or from a general practitioner or specialist, in order to : 1° Ensuring that emergency contraception is effective, in particular by recommending a pregnancy test when periods are late;…

University and inter-university student health services supply students with emergency contraception drugs under the following conditions: 1° Medicines are issued and administered free of charge to students; 2° In the case of medicines for which a doctor’s prescription is compulsory, these are prescribed and may be dispensed and administered by a doctor or midwife; they may also be dispensed and administered by a nurse working in the service on the…