When the Liberty to Contraception Got Statued: $10M Worth USAID Funded Contraceptives Set to Burn in France, While 218M Women Still Lack Access
Nearly $10 million worth of U.S.-funded contraceptives—originally designated for low-income countries—are now being shipped from Belgium to France to be destroyed. The stock, which includes IUDs, implants, and birth control pills, was meant to support reproductive health services in vulnerable regions across Africa and Asia. But months of political stalemate and ideological restrictions have led to its incineration, drawing sharp criticism from global health advocates and rights organisations.
The contraceptives have been stuck in a Belgian warehouse since January 2025, after former U.S. President Donald Trump froze foreign aid and dismantled the USAID’s family planning wing. Although the supplies don’t expire until as late as 2031, U.S. authorities have chosen to incinerate them rather than allow repurposing—even after the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and NGOs like MSI Reproductive Choices offered to buy and rebrand them.
“This is clearly not about saving money. It feels more like an ideological assault on reproductive rights,” said Sarah Shaw, Associate Director of Advocacy at MSI, in a statement to Reuters.
The U.S. State Department confirmed it would spend $167,000 to incinerate the supplies in France, citing concerns over USAID branding and adherence to the Mexico City Policy, a regulation that prohibits U.S. aid from going to any organization associated with abortion services.
But experts argue the consequences go far beyond a warehouse in Belgium.
A Blow to Global SRHR Progress
Contraception is one of the most effective tools to reduce maternal mortality, prevent unsafe abortions, and support women’s rights. According to UNFPA, 218 million women in low- and middle-income countries still lack access to modern contraception.
In sub-Saharan Africa alone, where many nations relied on USAID-distributed contraceptives, over 14 million unintended pregnancies were reported in 2023 due to unmet contraceptive needs. That number could grow in 2025 if such supplies remain inaccessible.
Destroying these resources undermines years of global work to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)—especially as climate change, conflict, and displacement already disrupt access to services.
As Shaw puts it: “We offered to repackage, ship, and cover import duties. They still said no.”
Policy vs People
While U.S. lawmakers have introduced bills to stop the destruction, they are unlikely to pass in time. Meanwhile, truckloads of vital reproductive health supplies continue to leave Belgium for incineration.
Advocates are calling it a humanitarian and public health failure. Critics say it sets a dangerous precedent—where political ideology overrides global SRHR commitments.
What’s at stake isn’t just medicine. It’s the ability of women and girls in the poorest regions to control their futures, prevent unsafe pregnancies, and access basic health rights.
Source: Reuters
Source Author: Ammu Kannampilly, Jennifer Rigby, Jonathan Landay | Adapted Feature
