France Must Not Be Complicit in U.S. Effort to Destroy Contraceptives

What happens when ideology trumps health? Nearly $10 million in U.S.-purchased birth control faces destruction in Europe.

This piece was originally published by PassBlue, a women-led nonprofit newsroom that covers the U.N. and global women’s rights.

SAINT-ÉTIENNE, France: As the grandson of Lucien Neuwirth, 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—one that threatens not only women’s health but also the legacy of reproductive rights and justice we hold dear.

The Trump administration is attempting to incinerate $9.7 million worth 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—many are viable for up to five more years—and were meant for women in some of the world’s poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Yet today, they sit idle in a warehouse in Belgium. If current plans proceed, they could soon be sent to France for incineration.

[Feminist organizations, family-planning nongovernmental organizations, unions and civil society leaders across France] have even offered to finance the redistribution of the devices themselves—an offer that was, shockingly, rejected.

The logistics firm Veolia, responsible for handling the products, claims it destroys only expired stock. However, that doesn’t 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—an offer that was, shockingly, rejected.

In response, I issued an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron, urging him to intervene. “Mr. President, do not let France become complicit in this scandal,” I wrote, reminding him of our nation’s responsibility to uphold sexual and reproductive rights—a legacy rooted in the very law my grandfather fought to pass, the Loi Neuwirth.

The French government has said it is “closely monitoring the situation” and supports Belgium’s 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.

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’s 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.

This is not only about contraception. It is about global reproductive justice. It is about who controls women’s bodies and whether France, as a global champion of human rights, will stand firm or stay silent.

My grandfather’s legacy is not only a matter of national pride: it is a call to vigilance. He stood for a France that advanced women’s 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.

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’s international leadership on reproductive rights.

This is not only about contraception. It is about global reproductive justice. It is about who controls women’s bodies and whether France, as a global champion of human rights, will stand firm or stay silent.

I also call on the United Nations, particularly the U.N. Population Fund, U.N. Women and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to speak out against this possible destruction. The U.N. must hold its member states accountable to the commitments made under international human rights law—including the rights to health and to family planning.

The incineration of perfectly usable contraceptives intended for women in vulnerable communities violates not only basic decency but also the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a blow to SDG3 (good health and well-being), SDG5 (gender equality) and SDG10 (reduced inequalities). The U.N. must act quickly to prevent this act of ideological sabotage disguised as logistics.

We cannot allow France to become an accessory to injustice. The world is watching.

Note from Ms. editors: To learn more about this issue and how you can take action—by calling or emailing your senators—click here.