Topics: Politics, News, US News, Donald Trump, Women's Health, Sex and Relationships
The Trump administration is set to burn just under $10m worth of taxpayer-funded birth control, instead of delivering it to women overseas in low-income countries.
A huge stockpile of contraceptives, including implants, pills and IUDs, are being sent to France from Belgium to be incinerated instead of being shipped around the world to those who need them, Reuters confirmed last week.
And that's not all - the US State Department confirmed that the government will spend an eye-watering $167,000 to incinerate the products at a French facility that handles medical waste.
A spokesperson confirmed to the news outlet that a 'preliminary decision' had been made to destroy certain products from terminated U.S. Agency for International Development contracts.
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They said: "Only a limited number of commodities have been approved for disposal," and clarified that no condoms or HIV medications would be destroyed.
It comes after USAID, previously the world's largest foreign aid agency, officially closed its doors when Donald Trump dismantled it last month.
The supplies, which are set to be destroyed, are worth $9.7 million and have expiration dates that vary from April 2027 to September 2031.
The stockpile, which was intended for girls and women in low-income countries such as sub-Saharan Africa, has been stuck at a warehouse in Belgium since foreign aid was frozen earlier this year.
According to The Guardian, it includes 900,000 birth control implants, two million doses of injectable long-acting birth control, two million packs of contraceptive pills and a further 50,000 IUDs.
So, why are all of these perfectly useful resources being destroyed?
Well, Washington has reportedly rejected offers from the United Nations and family planning organisations who wanted buy or ship the supplies to poor nations.
Sarah Shaw, Associate Director of non-profit organisation Advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, told Reuters that they had additionally volunteered to help.
The group offered to pay for the supplies to be repackaged without USAID branding. and shipped to countries in need, but the offer was declined by the US government.
She told the publication: "MSI offered to pay for repackaging, shipping and import duties but they were not open to that... We were told that the U.S. government would only sell the supplies at the full market value.
"This is clearly not about saving money. It feels more like an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women."
She heartbreakingly added that that many countries in sub-Saharan Africa had relied on USAID for access to contraception, and that the cuts would lead to a rise in unsafe abortions.
Other international humanitarian organisations also offered to buy the supplies, including UNFPA - the United Nations' sexual and reproductive health agency, but were reportedly rejected.
Because of the millions of lives at risk, lawmakers are trying to come up with a way to prevent the destruction of the supplies, but aid workers say it's unlikely the bills will be passed in time.
The Belgian Foreign Ministry said they held talks with American authorities and explored 'all possible options to prevent the destruction, including temporary relocation'.
However, they added in a statement: "Despite these efforts, and with full respect for our partners, no viable alternative could be secured. Nevertheless, Belgium continues to actively seek solutions to avoid this regrettable outcome.
"Sexual and reproductive health must not be subject to ideological constraints."
