A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #365 - Anti-patriarchy - Reproductive Rights: The US Funds the Destruction of Contraceptives (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The news that a stockpile of American contraceptives was at risk of 
being destroyed on French soil by the Trump administration has shocked 
the French Family Planning Movement and prompted a swift mobilization. 
This summer, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the 
authority of Elon Musk, decided to incinerate stocks of contraceptives 
intended for humanitarian aid, worth the equivalent of EUR10 million. 
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) denounced this 
decision and warned that it will deprive 1.4 million women and girls of 
contraception in countries where unsafe abortions are among the leading 
causes of maternal mortality.

A Rapid Mobilization in France
Informed of the presence of stocks in France and Belgium destined for 
incineration, the IPPF's international network, and in particular the 
French Family Planning Association (Planning familial français), quickly 
mobilized to try to save the contraceptives. Activists contacted the 
press and public authorities, widely publicized this scandal, and 
launched a petition.

Attempts were made to intervene directly with the companies involved in 
the delivery or destruction of the contraceptives, but there was 
complete opacity. Unable to determine where the incineration would take 
place, the Family Planning Association launched a national campaign in 
the hope of putting pressure on the French government: activists took 
photos of themselves in front of the nearest incinerators, holding 
Family Planning flags and signs denouncing: "Trump destroys lives," 
"French silence = complicity."

In a joint statement, the association described this destruction as "an 
intentional act of reproductive coercion." Indeed, most of these 
contraceptives didn't expire until 2027 or 2029 and were already 
packaged and ready for distribution. Numerous international 
organizations offered to buy back or redistribute the contraceptives at 
their own expense, an offer systematically refused by the US government.

Reproductive rights continue to be attacked today, both directly and 
indirectly.

Unsplash/rhsupplies
The Staging of Waste
This destruction is part of the swift attack launched by the DOGE 
against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 
as a whole. Founded in 1961, this agency's mission was to provide 
"American humanitarian assistance and economic development abroad." With 
an annual budget of $42.8 billion and a presence in some 100 countries, 
USAID, often described as the "world's leading provider of humanitarian 
aid," was a pillar of American soft power.

However, under Elon Musk's leadership, the new government 
department-whose mission is to organize "the dismantling of government 
bureaucracy"-conducted a rapid audit of USAID. Following a fierce smear 
campaign against the institution by Trump and his supporters, the report 
unsurprisingly concluded that the agency needed immediate closure, on 
the pretext that its actions ran counter to the strategic interests and 
objectives of the United States.

What this episode teaches us is that budgetary considerations are 
secondary to fascist ideological motives. Not only did this destruction 
fail to save a single dollar, but it also resulted in additional costs 
for transportation, storage, and incineration of the products. 
Furthermore, all employees were placed on administrative leave 
overnight, while the agency's headquarters was rendered inaccessible and 
its website suspended. Employees working abroad and their families were 
given only 30 days to return to the United States. In the international 
press, employees are speaking of "total chaos" within the agency.

The extremely brutal manner in which USAID is being dismantled appears 
to be a show of force intended to instill fear.

Continuing the fight for the right to control one's own body
Reproductive rights are clearly targeted by reactionary powers, and the 
French government will not protect them. While the freedom to access 
abortion is now enshrined in the Constitution, the effectiveness of this 
right remains insufficient.

Thus, the French Family Planning Association (Planning familial) 
denounces guilt-inducing reception practices, closed or unreachable 
abortion clinics, misinformation, imposed methods, abortion deadlines 
offered by clinics that fall short of the legal time limits, and a 
number of consultations difficult to reconcile with family or 
professional life, not to mention the misinformation and the campaign 
waged by anti-abortion activists both outside and within healthcare 
facilities.

In rural areas, access to abortion, as well as to contraception and 
appropriate prenatal care, has long been compromised. France is one of 
the few countries in Europe where infant mortality is increasing. The 
causes include maternity ward closures and staff shortages.

Healthcare and non-profit sector employees are mobilizing in response to 
austerity measures and highlighting the fragility of women's hard-won 
rights. Thus, while Trump represents the most extreme version of attacks 
on reproductive rights, our liberal governments can position themselves 
as progressives while simultaneously cutting the funding that actually 
enables access to these rights. Even at the ideological level, the 
desire to control women's bodies remains latent, whether it takes the 
form of paternalistic benevolence-"It's a right, but it's always a 
tragedy for a woman"-or is displayed more openly with "demographic 
rearmament," a term Macron borrowed from the Hungarian far-right leader 
Viktor Orbán.

On September 26 and 28, the rallies for the right to contraception and 
abortion, as is often the case, did not draw large crowds. Perhaps these 
dates need to be revitalized, not only to celebrate our past struggles 
and support those abroad, but also to remind us that even today, in 
France, this right is under attack and that battles remain to be fought[1].

Today, as yesterday, the anti-fascist struggle is international!

Claire (UCL Lille) and Camille (UCL Lyon)

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[1]See, for example, the 10 recommendations of the French Family 
Planning Association to guarantee access to abortion.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Droits-reproductifs-Les-USA-financent-la-destruction-de-contraceptifs
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