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A Trump administration plan to destroy $9.7 million worth of US-financed contraceptives, like the IUD above, could involve France incinerating the products, which were meant to go to women in some of the world\u2019s poorest countries. But a huge public outcry in France and beyond is pointing out that incinerating the contraceptives would \u201cthreaten not only women\u2019s health,\u201d as the essayist writes, but also \u201cthe legacy of reproductive rights and justice\u201d in France itself.<\/p>\n
SAINT-\u00c9TIENNE, France \u2014 As the grandson of Lucien Neuwirth<\/a>, the French parliamentarian who championed the 1967 law legalizing contraception in France, I feel a deep, personal and civic responsibility to speak out against an unfolding international scandal \u2014 one that threatens not only women\u2019s health but also the legacy of reproductive rights and justice we hold dear.<\/p>\n The Trump administration is attempting to incinerate $9.7 million worth<\/a> of United States-funded contraceptives, primarily long-acting reversible methods such as implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), which were purchased under the Biden administration through USAID. These devices are not expired \u2014 many are viable for up to five more years \u2014 and were meant for women in some of the world\u2019s poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n Yet today, they sit idle in a warehouse in Belgium. If current plans proceed, they could soon be sent to France for incineration.<\/p>\n The logistics firm Veolia<\/a>, responsible for handling the products, claims it destroys only expired stock. However, that doesn\u2019t appear to be the case here. Feminist organizations, family-planning nongovernmental organizations, unions and civil society leaders across France have united to oppose this senseless act. These groups have even offered to finance the redistribution of the devices themselves \u2014 an offer that was, shockingly, rejected.<\/p>\n In response, I issued an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron, urging him to intervene. \u201cMr. President, do not let France become complicit in this scandal,\u201d I wrote, reminding him of our nation\u2019s responsibility to uphold sexual and reproductive rights \u2014 a legacy rooted in the very law my grandfather fought to pass, the Loi Neuwirth<\/a>.<\/p>\n The French government has said it is \u201cclosely monitoring the situation\u201d and supports Belgium\u2019s search for alternatives. Yet, words alone are not enough. More than 20,000 people in France have signed a petition demanding action. Now we need leadership.<\/p>\n Let me be clear: destroying viable, lifesaving contraceptive devices is not merely wasteful; it is a moral affront. It undermines decades of progress in global women\u2019s health and dignity. It would mark a troubling moment in French history: when our soil, once a place of refuge and resistance, becomes a site of submission to ideological foreign policy.<\/p>\n This is not only about contraception. It is about global reproductive justice. It is about who controls women\u2019s bodies and whether France, as a global champion of human rights, will stand firm or stay silent.<\/p>\n My grandfather\u2019s legacy is not only a matter of national pride: it is a call to vigilance. He stood for a France that advanced women\u2019s autonomy and health. That same fight is needed now. Today, resistance may not come from the maquis but from the media, open letters and public mobilization.<\/p>\n I call on the French government to block the destruction of these contraceptives; support the NGO-led efforts to distribute them to the communities that need them; and reaffirm France\u2019s international leadership on reproductive rights.<\/p>\n I also call on the United Nations, particularly the UN Population Fund, UN Women and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to speak out against this possible destruction. The UN must hold its member states accountable to the commitments made under international human rights law \u2014 including the rights to health and to family planning.<\/p>\n The incineration of perfectly usable contraceptives intended for women in vulnerable communities violates not only basic decency but also the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>. It is a blow to SDG3 (good health and well-being), SDG5 (gender equality) and SDG10 (reduced inequalities). The UN must act quickly to prevent this act of ideological sabotage disguised as logistics.<\/p>\n We cannot allow France to become an accessory to injustice. The world is watching.<\/p>\n This is an opinion essay. Charles Dallara is the deputy mayor of Saint-\u00c9tienne, France.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Trump administration plan to destroy $9.7 million worth of US-financed contraceptives, like the IUD above, could involve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324568,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[2000,299,36,4582,112507,16199],"class_list":{"0":"post-324567","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-france","11":"tag-human-rights","12":"tag-us-un-relations","13":"tag-womens-rights"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114986208721971618","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
We welcome your comments on this article<\/a>.\u00a0 What are your thoughts on US plan to destroy the contraceptives?
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