The U.S. State Department has confirmed plans to destroy a significant stockpile of taxpayer-funded contraceptives valued at $9.7 million, intended for women in low-income countries.
This controversial decision follows the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce foreign aid and dismantle initiatives like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The contraceptives, which include IUDs, implants, and pills, have been stored in a Belgium warehouse since the beginning of the year, as the administration froze foreign aid.
According to multiple humanitarian groups and U.S. lawmakers, these family planning products were specifically designated for women and girls in low-income regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Instead of being sent to areas in crisis or refugee camps, authorities plan to incinerate the supplies in Europe.
The State Department stated that it will allocate $167,000 to destroy the contraceptives at a medical waste facility in France.
The department noted that only a limited number of commodities have received approval for disposal, emphasizing that no HIV medications or condoms are included in the destruction plan.
Several international humanitarian organizations, including MSI United States and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), attempted to purchase the supplies but were rejected by the U.S. government.
Critics, including various lawmakers from the U.S. and France, are advocating for a reversal of this decision before the stocks are slated for disposal at the end of July.
They argue that the loss of these contraceptives puts millions of individuals at risk of unwanted pregnancies and health complications.
Chelsea Polis, a principal research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, stated that the destroyed contraceptives could have provided pregnancy prevention for over 650,000 individuals for one year, and for nearly one million people for three to ten years, depending on the contraceptive method.
Polis emphasized that these essential supplies would have supported reproductive autonomy and significantly reduced risks associated with unsafe abortions and maternal deaths.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., highlighted that, in a typical year, U.S. family planning assistance helps prevent 8.1 million unintended pregnancies, 5.2 million unsafe abortions, and approximately 34,000 maternal deaths.
She conveyed her concerns in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to reconsider the destruction of these critical supplies.
The Trump administration’s withdrawal of humanitarian funds has created significant gaps in the global system delivering reproductive health services, according to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF).
MSF noted that the decision to destroy these supplies comes at a time when demand for contraceptives and family planning services has increased.
Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF’s U.S. offices, stated that destroying valuable medical supplies that were already purchased with taxpayer money does not effectively address waste or enhance efficiency.
Instead, she argued that such actions jeopardize people’s health and lives, attempting to enforce a political agenda.
The U.S. government has, however, classified these contraceptives as “abortifacient birth control commodities.”
This designation refers to substances that terminate pregnancies, despite the fact that the stockpile primarily consists of products designed to prevent fertilization.
The Mexico City Policy, originally enacted by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, restricts foreign NGOs from utilizing U.S. federal funds for abortion services or related information.
The Trump administration reinstated this policy during his term, and this has been cited as a reason for rejecting offers from humanitarian organizations to purchase and distribute the contraceptives.
MSI Reproductive Choices expressed disappointment at the U.S. government’s repeated rejection of their offers to purchase and repackage the supplies at their expense for distribution.
Senator Shaheen pointed out that the contraceptives in question have absolutely no relation to abortion, labeling the government’s reasoning as a convenient excuse to justify the destruction of necessary family planning supplies.
In Belgium, authorities are attempting to intervene.
The Belgian government has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Brussels in a bid to safeguard the contraceptives, seeking options to prevent their destruction.
Spokesperson Florinda Baleci from the ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the government is diligently exploring all possible avenues, including the potential temporary relocation of the products.
Meanwhile, some progressive lawmakers in France are lobbying against the destruction of these supplies, urging their government to oppose the incineration.
Female lawmakers in France have openly expressed their refusal to allow the country to become complicit in the destruction of vital medical resources.
Marine Tondelier, leader of the French Green party, is among those advocating that France should resist becoming a disposal site for what she deems the actions of American ultraconservatives.
They are calling on President Emmanuel Macron to initiate diplomatic talks with the European Commission to halt the destruction and support humanitarian organizations willing to redistribute the contraceptives.
MSF advocates that the best solution is to transfer the contraceptives to ministries of health in the countries that need them most without delay.
In the U.S., Senators Shaheen and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, have introduced new legislation aimed at preventing the destruction or waste of foreign assistance commodities, including medical supplies and food.
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