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)
Submit
[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
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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)
Submit
[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
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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