The Trump Administration continues to be in its Villain Era, announcing its plan to incinerate more than $9.7 million worth of contraceptives funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that have been in a warehouse in Belgium since President Trump’s order, freezing foreign aid, and shutting down USAID.
The Department of State said in a statement to The Hill that it has made a “preliminary decision” to destroy some “abortifacient” birth control products, meaning that they induce abortions. It said no HIV medications or condoms would be destroyed.
However, according to The New York Times, none of the supplies registered for storage in the Belgian warehouse fit the description. In fact, USAID, under the law, isn’t allowed to purchase products that induce abortions.
The department has shaped the decision under the narrative of being for the taxpayers, arguing it has avoided an additional $34.1 million in taxpayer costs by negotiating no-cost cancellations of pending orders placed by the Biden administration.
That being said, they are spending more than $160,000 to burn the mix of birth control pills, shots, implants, and IUDs at a facility in France that destroys medical waste, according to The Times.
It also said that they are just doing their part to uphold the Kemp-Kasten amendment, which prohibits the administration from assisting an organization or program that supports or participates in the management of a program of “coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.”
“This includes non-abortifacient contraceptives provided as assistance to entities that do not make the commitment required under the policy,” the statement reads.
International activist groups have expressed disappointment with the decision.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), a nonprofit, estimates that incinerating contraceptives will leave 1.4 million women and girls across Africa without access to life-saving care.
The IPPF estimates 77% of the supplies are earmarked for five African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mali, and Congo.
More than 40% of the soon-to-be destroyed supplies were meant for Tanzania alone, according to the nonprofit.
The IPPF wrote in a statement that the supplies are being “needlessly and egregiously” destroyed and that many of the contraceptives will not expire until 2027 at the earliest and 2029 at the latest.
“This decision to destroy ready-to-use commodities is appalling and extremely wasteful,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, Africa regional director of the IPPF.
“These life-saving medical supplies were destined to countries where access to reproductive care is already limited, and in some cases, part of a broader humanitarian response, such as in the [Congo].”
As of this publication, a spokesperson for the Department of State did not immediately respond to requests for clarification, according to The Hill.
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