Female contraceptives threatened with destruction: Environmentalists challenge Emmanuel Macron over US decision

On Saturday, July 26, the Greens sent an open letter to Emmanuel Macron , asking him to intervene "urgently" to prevent the destruction, planned by the United States, of female contraceptives stored in Belgium, which could be incinerated in France.

These contraceptive methods (implants, IUDs), worth $9.7 million, are intended for "low- and middle-income countries as part of the programs of the United States Agency for International Development [USAID]," dismantled by the Trump administration, it is recalled in this letter, signed by the leader of the Ecologists, Marine Tondelier, and several female parliamentarians.

This American decision is "an affront to the fundamental principles of solidarity, public health and sexual and reproductive rights that France is committed to defending," they add, urging Emmanuel Macron "not to be complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies."

The leader of the La France Insoumise (LFI) deputies, Mathilde Panot, also urged Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister François Bayrou to "act to prevent this destruction which will cost lives" , in a message published on X. "These resources are vital, particularly for the 218 million women who do not have access to contraceptive care" , she wrote.

Following the revelation of the affair by the British daily The Guardian , Washington confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday, through a State Department spokesperson, that "a preliminary decision has been taken to destroy certain abortive contraceptive products from USAID contracts." The latter stated that "only a limited number of products have been approved for destruction," at a cost of $167,000 (142,043.04 euros), specifying that "no HIV medication or condoms will be destroyed."

"Cutting aid for contraception is a disgrace, destroying products that have already been manufactured and financed is even more mind-boggling," Marine Tondelier told AFP.

In their letter, the Ecologists therefore ask the French head of state to demand the suspension of this destruction, "as part of a joint initiative with the European Commission" , and that he "explicitly" support the humanitarian organisations which have said they are "ready to redistribute these contraceptives" , such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

"The U.S. government's decision (...) is a deliberately irresponsible and harmful act against women and girls around the world," Avril Benoît, who heads MSF USA, the U.S. branch of the NGO, said Thursday. Other organizations have offered to cover the costs of shipping and distributing the supplies, "but the U.S. government has declined these offers," he said.