Why the US Plan to Destroy $10 Million in Contraceptives Is Causing Outrage?

Asianet News English

The US government's decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives, originally intended to help women in some of the world's poorest countries, has triggered a storm of condemnation from doctors, aid groups, and politicians worldwide. These supplies, including IUDs, implants, and birth control pills stored in Belgium, are headed for incineration in France after the US rejected multiple offers from humanitarian groups to buy, rebrand, or distribute them at no cost. Why is this happening? Critics argue it's an ideologically-driven move, not about saving money, and warn it will worsen shortages, jeopardize women's health, and increase rates of unsafe abortions in crisis-hit regions.&nbsp;

Transcript

00:00The US administration's decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of women's contraceptive

00:07products has sparked furious condemnation from doctors and aid groups. They have slammed the

00:13move as a wasteful attack on women's rights. The contraceptives are being stored in Belgium

00:19and are reportedly planned to be incinerated in France. Both European countries are under

00:25pressure to prevent the destruction. So what has the US announced? On 18th of July, British

00:32newspaper The Guardian cited two US Congress sources as saying that President Donald Trump's

00:37administration plans to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, which are mostly long-acting,

00:46such as IUDs and birth control implants. The contraceptives, intended for some of the

00:52world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are stored in a warehouse

00:57in the Belgian city of Geel. According to the Guardian report, they are to be incinerated at the

01:03end of July. A US State Department spokesperson told AFP this week that a preliminary decision

01:09was made to destroy certain birth control products from terminated Biden-era US aid contracts.

01:16Trump's administration dismantled USAID, the country's foreign aid arm, after returning to the White

01:23House in January, replacing Joe Biden. The State Department spokesperson said that the destruction will

01:29cost $167,000 and no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed. But why does the US want to destroy

01:40contraceptives? The State Department spokesperson reportedly pointed to a policy that prohibits providing

01:46aid to non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortions. The Mexico City policy,

01:52which critics call as the Global Gag Rule, was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan

01:58in 1984 and has been reinstated under every Republican president since.

02:04The Trump administration has also splashed foreign aid, with the Senate this month approving

02:09a package that cut around $8 billion in international funding, much of it intended for USAID. Research has

02:17estimated that USAID cuts will lead to the deaths of 14 million people by 2030.

02:24Earlier this month, the US also incinerated nearly 500 metric tons of high-nutrition biscuits,

02:30which were meant to keep malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan alive.

02:35Trump has also reportedly moved to restrict abortion access in the US, taking credit for the Supreme

02:40Court overturning the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. The US State Department also suggested to

02:47The Guardian that the contraceptives were nearing the end of shelf life. However,

02:52media reports have since said that the products expire between April 2027 and September 2031.

03:00So what are the alternatives? Belgium's foreign ministry reportedly said that it has initiated

03:07diplomatic efforts with the US embassy in Brussels about the contraceptives. The ministry said that

03:13Belgium government is exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these products,

03:18including temporary relocation solutions. The international organization MSI Reproductive

03:24choices said that it had offered to purchase, repackage and manage logistics at our expense,

03:30ensuring the products reach those in need. But this offer was repeatedly rejected. The international

03:37planned Parenthood Federation made a similar offer at no cost to the US government. That was also turned down.

03:48So what are people saying? New Hampshire's Democratic

03:51Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing government

03:56waste, saying that the contraceptives plan is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse. Shaheen and

04:02Democratic Senator Brianne Schatz has introduced a bill aiming to prevent further US aid being wasted.

04:09The International Planned Parenthood Federation said that the contraceptive plan is an intentional act of

04:15reproductive coercion. Doctors Without Borders called it a callous waste. MSI Advocacy Director

04:21Sarah Shaw said that it was an ideological assault on reproductive rights and one that is already

04:27harming women. The head of the French family planning group Sarah Durotcher observed that last year

04:33France became the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution. She said that

04:39France has a moral responsibility to act. French Green leader Marine Tondelier signed an open letter

04:45calling on President Emmanuel Macron to stop the contraceptives from being destroyed. The letter read,

04:52Our country cannot be complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies.

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