US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says
More than three-quarters of the contraceptives (77%) were destined for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mali, according to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an NGO global healthcare provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive rights.
The contraceptives, many of which will not expire until 2027-2029, had already been manufactured, packaged and ready for distribution. IPPF offered to take them for redistribution at no cost to the US taxpayer, but the offer was declined.
Their destruction will deny more than 1.4 million women and girls in the five countries access to lifesaving care, IPPF said.
Marie Evelyne Petrus-Barry, the Africa regional director of IPPF, said: 'This decision to destroy ready-to-use commodities is appalling and extremely wasteful. These lifesaving 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 DRC. The choice to incinerate them is unjustifiable.'
As a result of the decision, more than 1m injectable contraceptives and 365,100 implants will not be distributed in Tanzania, 28% of the total annual need in the country.
Dr Bakari, a project coordinator at Umati, IPPF's member association in Tanzania, said: 'We are facing a major challenge. The impact of the USAID funding cuts has already significantly affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health services in Tanzania, leading to a shortage of contraceptive commodities, especially implants. This shortage has directly impacted clients' choices regarding family planning uptake.'
In Mali, women will be denied access to 1.2m oral contraceptives and 95,800 implants, amounting to almost a quarter (24%) of the country's annual need.
In Zambia, women will go without 48,400 implants and 295,000 injectable contraceptives, while in Kenya 108,000 women will not have access to contraceptive implants.
Nelly Munyasia, the executive director for the Reproductive Health Network in Kenya, said the impact of USAID cuts was already being felt in the country. Stockpiles of long-term contraceptives had already run out, she said, which will have drastic consequences on women's health and their sexual and reproductive rights. Meanwhile, the skill set of health workers is being reduced and there is a 46% funding gap in Kenya's national family planning programme.
'These systemic setbacks come at a time when unmet need for contraception remains high,' she said. 'Nearly one in five girls aged 15 to 19 are already pregnant or has given birth. Unsafe abortions remain among the five leading causes of maternal deaths in Kenya.
While the Kenyan constitution, adopted in 2010, allows for abortion when a pregnant person's life or health is at risk, the Kenyan penal code of 1963 still criminalises it. Healthcare providers are reluctant to provide safe care while the penal code remains in place, even in emergencies. Munyasia added that, without adequate supplies of contraceptives, there would be a rise in maternal mortality as a result of women with unintended pregnancies seeking to end them.
Last month, a US state department spokesperson confirmed that the decision to destroy the contraceptives had been made. Amid reports that the contraceptives were due to be incinerated in France, the French government said it was 'following the situation closely' after feminist, rights and family planning groups expressed outrage at the proposal.
The department decided to destroy the contraceptives because it could not sell them to any 'eligible buyers', in part because of US laws and rules that prohibit sending US aid to organisations that provide abortion services, counsel people about the procedure or advocate for the right to it overseas, according to the state department spokesperson.
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The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says
A decision by the US government to incinerate more than $9.7m (£7.3m) of contraceptives is projected to result in 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions in five African countries. More than three-quarters of the contraceptives (77%) were destined for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mali, according to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an NGO global healthcare provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive rights. The contraceptives, many of which will not expire until 2027-29, had already been manufactured, packaged and ready for distribution. IPPF offered to take them for redistribution at no cost to the US taxpayer, but the offer was declined. Their destruction will deny more than 1.4 million women and girls in the five countries access to lifesaving care, IPPF said. Marie Evelyne Petrus-Barry, the Africa regional director of IPPF, said: 'This decision to destroy ready-to-use commodities is appalling and extremely wasteful. These lifesaving 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 DRC. The choice to incinerate them is unjustifiable.' As a result of the decision, more than 1m injectable contraceptives and 365,100 implants will not be distributed in Tanzania, 28% of the total annual need in the country. Dr Bakari, a project coordinator at Umati, IPPF's member association in Tanzania, said: 'We are facing a major challenge. The impact of the USAID funding cuts has already significantly affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health services in Tanzania, leading to a shortage of contraceptive commodities, especially implants. This shortage has directly impacted clients' choices regarding family planning uptake.' In Mali, women will be denied access to 1.2m oral contraceptives and 95,800 implants, amounting to almost a quarter (24%) of the country's annual need. In Zambia, women will go without 48,400 implants and 295,000 injectable contraceptives, while in Kenya 108,000 women will not have access to contraceptive implants. Nelly Munyasia, the executive director for the Reproductive Health Network in Kenya, said the impact of USAID cuts was already being felt in the country. Stockpiles of long-term contraceptives had already run out, she said, which will have drastic consequences on women's health and their sexual and reproductive rights. Meanwhile, the skill set of health workers is being reduced and there is a 46% funding gap in Kenya's national family planning programme. Sign up to The Long Wave Nesrine Malik and Jason Okundaye deliver your weekly dose of Black life and culture from around the world after newsletter promotion 'These systemic setbacks come at a time when unmet need for contraception remains high,' she said. 'Nearly one in five girls aged 15 to 19 are already pregnant or has given birth. Unsafe abortions remain among the five leading causes of maternal deaths in Kenya. While the Kenyan constitution, adopted in 2010, allows for abortion when a pregnant person's life or health is at risk, the Kenyan penal code of 1963 still criminalises it. Healthcare providers are reluctant to provide safe care while the penal code remains in place, even in emergencies. Munyasia said without adequate supplies of contraceptives there would be a rise in maternal mortality as a result of women seeking to end unintended pregnancies. Last month, a US state department spokesperson confirmed that the decision to destroy the contraceptives had been made. Amid reports that the contraceptives were due to be incinerated in France, the French government said it was 'following the situation closely' after feminist, rights and family planning groups expressed outrage at the proposal. The department decided to destroy the contraceptives because it could not sell them to any 'eligible buyers', in part because of US laws and rules that prohibit sending US aid to organisations that provide abortion services, counsel people about the procedure or advocate for the right to it overseas, according to the state department spokesperson.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says
A decision by the US government to incinerate more than $9.7m of contraceptives is projected to result in 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions in five African countries. More than three-quarters of the contraceptives (77%) were destined for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mali, according to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an NGO global healthcare provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive rights. The contraceptives, many of which will not expire until 2027-2029, had already been manufactured, packaged and ready for distribution. IPPF offered to take them for redistribution at no cost to the US taxpayer, but the offer was declined. Their destruction will deny more than 1.4 million women and girls in the five countries access to lifesaving care, IPPF said. Marie Evelyne Petrus-Barry, the Africa regional director of IPPF, said: 'This decision to destroy ready-to-use commodities is appalling and extremely wasteful. These lifesaving 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 DRC. The choice to incinerate them is unjustifiable.' As a result of the decision, more than 1m injectable contraceptives and 365,100 implants will not be distributed in Tanzania, 28% of the total annual need in the country. Dr Bakari, a project coordinator at Umati, IPPF's member association in Tanzania, said: 'We are facing a major challenge. The impact of the USAID funding cuts has already significantly affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health services in Tanzania, leading to a shortage of contraceptive commodities, especially implants. This shortage has directly impacted clients' choices regarding family planning uptake.' In Mali, women will be denied access to 1.2m oral contraceptives and 95,800 implants, amounting to almost a quarter (24%) of the country's annual need. In Zambia, women will go without 48,400 implants and 295,000 injectable contraceptives, while in Kenya 108,000 women will not have access to contraceptive implants. Nelly Munyasia, the executive director for the Reproductive Health Network in Kenya, said the impact of USAID cuts was already being felt in the country. Stockpiles of long-term contraceptives had already run out, she said, which will have drastic consequences on women's health and their sexual and reproductive rights. Meanwhile, the skill set of health workers is being reduced and there is a 46% funding gap in Kenya's national family planning programme. 'These systemic setbacks come at a time when unmet need for contraception remains high,' she said. 'Nearly one in five girls aged 15 to 19 are already pregnant or has given birth. Unsafe abortions remain among the five leading causes of maternal deaths in Kenya. While the Kenyan constitution, adopted in 2010, allows for abortion when a pregnant person's life or health is at risk, the Kenyan penal code of 1963 still criminalises it. Healthcare providers are reluctant to provide safe care while the penal code remains in place, even in emergencies. Munyasia added that, without adequate supplies of contraceptives, there would be a rise in maternal mortality as a result of women with unintended pregnancies seeking to end them. Last month, a US state department spokesperson confirmed that the decision to destroy the contraceptives had been made. Amid reports that the contraceptives were due to be incinerated in France, the French government said it was 'following the situation closely' after feminist, rights and family planning groups expressed outrage at the proposal. The department decided to destroy the contraceptives because it could not sell them to any 'eligible buyers', in part because of US laws and rules that prohibit sending US aid to organisations that provide abortion services, counsel people about the procedure or advocate for the right to it overseas, according to the state department spokesperson.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Leading charity hits out at Trump's destructive plan that will deny 1.4m women and girls birth control
The Trump administration's plan to destroy a warehouse full of contraceptives, rather than distribute them to low-income countries, will leave more than 1.4 million people without essential medical care, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has found. More than three-quarters of the $9.7m (£7.2m) worth of supplies were destined for just five countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Mali. Tanzania, which was due to receive more than 40 per cent of the stock, will be the hardest hit. The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, which brings together governments, private companies and charities to make contraception accessible, has projected that without these supplies there will be 174,000 more unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions. The plan forms part of wide-ranging cuts to US foreign aid, which includes stopping providing birth control to lower-income countries. A State Department spokesperson said the US had 'avoided an additional $34.1 million in taxpayer costs by negotiating no-cost cancellations of pending orders'. However the destruction of these supplies – which have already been paid for – is estimated to cost $167,000, according to the US government. IPPF said its offers to take on the costs of donating the contraception - which includes pills, implants and injections - rather than letting it go to waste had been rejected. The supplies were largely not due to expire for up to five years. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was one of the world's biggest providers of contraception. Without these contraceptives, women and girls are unable to choose how to protect themselves, Dr Bakari, project coordinator at Tazanian sexual and reproductive health NGO Umati explained. 'The impact of the USAID funding cuts has already significantly affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health services in Tanzania - leading to a shortage of contraceptive commodities, especially implants. This shortage has directly impacted clients' choices regarding family planning uptake.' In many of these countries, options like implants and long-acting injectable contraception are particularly popular because they grant women discretion and control when their partners may not approve of them taking pills for example. In Tanzania, a million injectable contraceptives and more than 350,000 implants have been earmarked to be burnt - almost a third of the contraception needed for a whole year. In Mali, more than a million contraceptive pills and almost 100,000 implants are being withheld and risk being destroyed - a quarter of the country's annual needs, while in Kenya more than 100,000 promised implants are not being distributed. Executive Director for the Reproductive Health Network in Kenya, Nelly Munyasia, said these setbacks had come at a time when unmet need for contraception was already high - with profound implications for the lifechances of women and girls. 'Nearly 1 in 5 girls aged 15–19 is already pregnant or has given birth. Unsafe abortions remain among the five leading causes of maternal deaths in Kenya,' she said. A US State Department spokesperson confirmed that a 'preliminary decision was made to destroy certain birth control commodities from terminated USAID contracts'. However, the current status of the supplies remains somewhat of a mystery. While a Belgian government spokesperson confirmed that at least some of the contraceptives were in transit, they, along with the French and US governments, would not confirm whether any of the stock had reached France. A Belgian government spokesperson said the country remained committed to exploring, 'all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these stocks and continues to engage in discussions with the American authorities'. Major waste management companies including Veolia and SUEZ have denied involvement in the incineration. Hormonal contraceptives require specialised disposal to prevent the hormones from polluting the environment and entering the water supply. President of IPPF's French member association, Le Planning familial, Sarah Durocher, said: 'We call on the French government to take responsibility and act urgently to prevent the destruction of USAID-funded contraceptives. 'It is unacceptable that France, a country that champions feminist diplomacy, has remained silent while others, like Belgium, have stepped in to engage with the US government. In the face of this injustice, solidarity with the people who were counting on these life-saving supplies is not optional: it is a moral imperative.'
