Zürcher Nachrichten - US plan to destroy contraceptives sparks uproar

The contraceptives are being stored in Belgium and are reportedly planned to be incinerated in France. Both European countries are under pressure to prevent the destruction.

- What has the US announced? -

On July 18, British newspaper the Guardian cited two US Congress sources as saying that President Donald Trump's administration planned to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, which are mostly long-acting such as IUDs and birth control implants.

The contraceptives -- intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa -- are stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel.

They are to be incinerated at the end of July, according to the Guardian report.

A US State Department spokesperson told AFP this week that "a preliminary decision was made to destroy certain" birth control products from "terminated Biden-era USAID contracts".

Trump's administration dismantled USAID, the country's foreign aid arm, after returning to the White House in January, replacing President Joe Biden.

The State Department spokesperson said the destruction will cost $167,000 and "no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed."

- Why? -

The spokesperson pointed AFP to a policy that prohibits providing aid to non-governmental organisations that perform or promote abortions.

The Mexico City Policy, which critics call the "global gag rule", was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and has been reinstated under every Republican president since.

The Trump administration has also slashed foreign aid, with the Senate this month approving a package that cut around $8 billion in international funding, much of it intended for USAID.

Research has estimated that the USAID cuts will lead to the deaths of 14 million people by 2030.

Earlier this month, the US also incinerated nearly 500 metric tons of high-nutrition biscuits which were meant to keep malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan alive.

Trump has also repeatedly moved to restrict abortion access in the United States, taking credit for the Supreme Court overturning the nationwide right to abortion in 2022.

The US State Department also suggested to the Guardian that the contraceptives were nearing the end of their shelf life.

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

- What are the alternatives? -

Belgium's foreign ministry told AFP that it has "initiated diplomatic efforts with the United States embassy in Brussels" about the contraceptives.

The government "is exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these products, including temporary relocation solutions," it added.

The international organisation MSI Reproductive Choices said it had offered to "purchase, repackage, and manage logistics at our expense, ensuring the products reach those in need".

However this offer was repeatedly rejected, it said in a statement.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) made a similar offer at "no cost to the US government" that was also turned down.

- What are people saying? -

New Hampshire's Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing government waste, saying the contraceptives plan "is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse".

Shaheen and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz have introduced a bill aiming to prevent further US aid being wasted.

The IPPF said the contraceptives plan is "an intentional act of reproductive coercion".

Doctors Without Borders called it a "callous waste".

MSI advocacy director Sarah Shaw said it was "an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women".

The head of the French Family Planning group, Sarah Durocher, observed that last year France became the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution.

"France has a moral responsibility to act," she said.

French Green leader Marine Tondelier signed an open letter calling on President Emmanuel Macron to stop the contraceptives from being destroyed.

"Our country cannot be complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies," the letter read.

Contacted by AFP, the office of the French presidency declined to comment.

R.Bernasconi--NZN