Escalating Indignation in France Regarding Proposed American Action to Eliminate Birth Control Resources
In a move that has sparked outrage, the United States has planned to destroy contraceptives worth $9.7 million, originally intended for women in extreme poverty in Global South countries. These contraceptives, which include IUDs, implants, and birth control pills, are set to be incinerated on French soil after being transported from Belgium.
The decision, initiated under the Trump administration, comes as a result of the administration's drastic cuts to USAID funding and pursuit of anti-abortion policies. Despite offers from NGOs to transport and distribute these contraceptives, the US government declined. The exact location and company involved in the incineration operation have not been disclosed.
France's government has stated it cannot legally intervene or seize the contraceptives to prevent their destruction. Contraceptives are not considered drugs of major therapeutic interest, and there is no supply shortage domestically. Thus, French health authorities do not have the legal basis to requisition these stocks.
The plan has provoked outrage among women's rights groups and humanitarian organizations such as Doctors Without Borders. They have criticized the destruction as wasteful and harmful to global reproductive health, especially in regions relying on USAID programs. The destruction cost itself is estimated at over $167,000, further adding to the controversy.
President Emmanuel Macron has yet to make an official statement on the contraceptives. However, French disposal company Suez does not provide waste management services for all contraceptive products purchased by USAID. Veolia, another French company, has a contract with the US firm Chemonics, USAID's logistics provider, but the contract only concerns the management of expired products, not the stockpile in Belgium.
Sarah Durocher, the head of the French women's rights group Family Planning, has reported that some contraceptives have already left the Belgian warehouse. A petition launched by French feminist groups and unions, calling for the contraceptives to be saved, has been signed by more than 10,000 people.
The US plan to destroy contraceptives has provoked outcry in France, with rights groups and left-wing politicians calling on their governments to prevent the contraceptives from being destroyed. Charles Dallara, the grandson of the politician who legislated in favour of the contraceptive pill in France in 1967, has urged President Emmanuel Macron to act. An opinion article in the newspaper Le Monde, signed by five NGOs, including MSI Reproductive Choices, has condemned the "absurdity" of the US decision.
As of early August 2025, France is monitoring the situation and has supported Belgium's efforts to block the US plan. However, no decisive government action to halt the incineration on French territory has been reported. The contraceptives were intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Despite French authorities having no legal basis to seize the contraceptives, rights groups and left-wing politicians in France have called on their governments to prevent their destruction, deeming the plan as wasteful and harmful to global women's health.
- The destruction of these contraceptives, estimated to cost over $167,000, has sparked controversy in the realm of general news and policy-and-legislation, as opponents argue it will negatively impact reproductive health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Meanwhile, in the health-and-wellness sector, organizations like Doctors Without Borders have voiced concerns about the destruction of contraceptives, instead advocating for their distribution to women in extreme poverty in Global South countries.
- In response to the public outcry, Sarah Durocher of the French women's rights group Family Planning launched a petition to save the contraceptives, garnering signatures from over 10,000 people. This petition, along with an opinion article in Le Monde, has highlighted the absurdity and injustice of the US decision.
