$10M in US-funded contraceptives sit in limbo in Europe
The stash is reported to include more than 50,000 intrauterine devices, nearly two million doses of injectable contraceptives, and more than two million packets of oral birth control, and is being kept in the small city of Geel near Antwerp.
The contraceptive products were originally intended for distribution to lower-income countries by the now dismantled United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the dissolution of USAID - whose aim was to improve health, reduce poverty, and promote human rights and democracy in low-income nations - many international projects and partnerships have been abandoned.
The US government's current plan for the contraceptives left in limbo in Geel is to incinerate them—despite their expiration date being between 2027 and 2031.
This isn't the first time the American government has opted for such a drastic solution. After budget cuts, food rations capable of feeding 3.5 million people for a month were reportedly left to rot in warehouses around the world, as documented by Reuters.
The decision to destroy the contraceptive supplies has drawn sharp criticism from civil society groups.
'It's the height of hypocrisy for a government to preach efficiency and cutting waste, only to turn around and recklessly destroy life-saving supplies when the need has never been greater. This isn't just inefficient — it's unconscionable,' said Micah Grzywnowicz, regional director of International Planned Parenthood Federation's European network.
IPPF publicly offered to collect the supplies from Geel, repackage them in its warehouse in the Netherlands, and distribute them to women in need across the globe, 'all at no cost to the US government', according to Grzywnowicz.
Several other organisations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the global charity MSI Reproductive Choices, have also expressed willingness to purchase or redistribute the stockpiles. All offers have reportedly been rejected by the Trump administration.
The Belgian government also confirmed to Euronews it is in contact with the US embassy in Brussels.
'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these stocks, including their temporary relocation,' a spokesperson told Euronews.
As the supplies are reportedly set to be removed to France for destruction, politicians from the French Green Party, Les Écologistes, have appealed to President Emmanuel Macron to intervene.
'We cannot allow Donald Trump's anti-choice agenda to unfold on our territory. And so today, France must mediate with the Commission,' MEP Mélissa Camara (France/The Greens), one of the signatories of the letter, told Euronews.
She added that the destruction of these contraceptives would endanger women around the world, especially in Africa, the original destination of the supplies.
Camara has also addressed a separate letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other members of the Commission, including Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, whose portfolio includes sexual and reproductive health and rights.
A spokesperson told Euronews that the European Commission had 'taken note of the letters and acknowledge the concerns raised'.
They added that the EU remains strongly committed to promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including family planning, and that investment in SRHR is a key contributor to social and economic development.
'We continue to monitor the situation closely to explore the most effective solutions,' the spokesperson said.
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LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
France says it cannot save contraceptives US plans to destroy
France said Friday, August 1, it could not seize women's contraception products estimated to be worth $9.7 million that the United States plans to destroy, after media reported the stockpile would be incinerated in the country. The contraceptives – intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa – were purchased by the US foreign aid agency USAID under former president Joe Biden. But France's health ministry told Agence France-Presse Friday there was no legal way for it to intervene. The administration of Biden's successor Donald Trump, which has slashed USAID and pursued anti-abortion policies, confirmed last month it planned to destroy the contraceptives, which have been stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel. According to several media reports, the unexpired products were to be incinerated in France at the end of July by a company that specialises in destroying medical waste. France's government has come under pressure to save the contraceptives, with women's rights groups calling the US decision "insane." The health ministry told AFP that the government had "examined the courses of action available to us, but unfortunately there is no legal basis for intervention by a European health authority, let alone the French national drug safety authority, to recover these medical products. Since contraceptives are not drugs of major therapeutic interest, and in this case we are not facing a supply shortage, we have no means to requisition the stocks." The ministry also said it had no information on where the contraceptives would be destroyed. Leaving Belgian warehouse Sarah Durocher, head of the French women's rights group Family Planning, told AFP that some contraceptives had already left the Belgian warehouse. "We were informed 36 hours ago that the removal of these boxes of contraceptives had begun," Durocher said Thursday. "We do not know where these trucks are now – or whether they have arrived in France," she added. "We call on all incineration companies not to destroy the contraceptives and to oppose this insane decision." French company Veolia confirmed to AFP that it had a contract with the US firm Chemonics, USAID's logistics provider. But Veolia emphasized that the contract concerned "only the management of expired products, which is not the case for the stockpile" in Belgium. The products, mostly long-acting contraceptives such as IUDs and birth control implants, are reportedly up to five years away from expiring. Outrage over decision The US decision has provoked an outcry in France, where rights groups and left-wing politicians have called on their government to stop the plan. "France cannot allow itself to become the stage for such actions. A moratorium is necessary," wrote five NGOs in an op-ed in Le Monde, condemning the "absurdity" of the US decision. Among them was MSI Reproductive Choices, one of several organisations that have offered to purchase and repackage the contraceptives at no cost to the US government. All offers have been rejected. Last week, 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." A US State Department spokesperson told AFP earlier this week that the destruction of the products would cost $167,000 and "no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed." The spokesperson pointed 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. It has been reinstated under every Republican president since. Last month, the US also incinerated nearly 500 metric tons of high-nutrition biscuits that had been meant to keep malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan alive.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
France says it cannot save contraceptives US plans to destroy
The contraceptives -- intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa -- were purchased by the US foreign aid agency USAID under former president Joe Biden. But France's health ministry told AFP Friday there was no legal way for it to intervene. The administration of Biden's successor Donald Trump, which has slashed USAID and pursued anti-abortion policies, confirmed last month it planned to destroy the contraceptives, which have been stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel. According to several media reports, the unexpired products were to be incinerated in France at the end of July by a company that specialises in destroying medical waste. France's government has come under pressure to save the contraceptives, with women's rights groups calling the US decision "insane". The health ministry told AFP that the government had "examined the courses of action available to us, but unfortunately there is no legal basis for intervention by a European health authority, let alone the French national drug safety authority, to recover these medical products. "Since contraceptives are not drugs of major therapeutic interest, and in this case we are not facing a supply shortage, we have no means to requisition the stocks," it added. The ministry also said it had no information on where the contraceptives would be destroyed. Leaving Belgian warehouse Sarah Durocher, head of the French women's rights group Family Planning, told AFP that some contraceptives had already left the Belgian warehouse. "We were informed 36 hours ago that the removal of these boxes of contraceptives had begun," Durocher said Thursday. "We do not know where these trucks are now -- or whether they have arrived in France," she added. "We call on all incineration companies not to destroy the contraceptives and to oppose this insane decision." French company Veolia confirmed to AFP that it had a contract with the US firm Chemonics, USAID's logistics provider. But Veolia emphasised that the contract concerned "only the management of expired products, which is not the case for the stockpile" in Belgium. The products, mostly long-acting contraceptives such as IUDs and birth control implants, are reportedly up to five years away from expiring. Outrage over decision The US decision has provoked an outcry in France, where rights groups and left-wing politicians have called on their government to stop the plan. "France cannot become the scene of such operations -- a moratorium is essential," an opinion piece in the French daily Le Monde said Friday. Signed by five NGOs, it condemned the "absurdity" of the US decision. Among them was MSI Reproductive Choices, one of several organisations that have offered to purchase and repackage the contraceptives at no cost to the US government. All offers have been rejected. Last week, 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". A US State Department spokesperson told AFP earlier this week that the destruction of the products would cost $167,000 and "no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed". The spokesperson pointed 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. It has been reinstated under every Republican president since.
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- LeMonde
Contraceptives destroyed in silence: 'Can France accept to become the executor of a senseless policy imposed by the US?'
A stockpile of several million doses of contraceptives, valued at $9.7 million, financed by USAID and usable until 2031, is currently being incinerated in France. These products, originally intended for women in extreme poverty in countries in the Global South, are being destroyed for purely ideological reasons, at the request of the Trump administration. The service provider tasked with the incineration has not yet been identified. This human and environmental waste must be stopped immediately. Why is this happening? Because the US administration, following a blinkered ideological agenda, ordered their destruction as part of the dismantling of USAID. It even refused to transfer the stock to NGOs who were ready to transport and distribute it. This is not a public health issue or a logistical problem. It is a radical political choice. USAID's logistics program, which is usually operated by the company Chemonics, appears to be linked to this operation. However, this cannot be confirmed, since neither the name of the logistics provider nor the name of the incinerator has been made public. The stock, which was previously stored in Belgium, was transported to France in about 10 trucks at the end of July. The exact location of the incineration is deliberately undisclosed. Despite the scale of the operation, the company responsible for handling the medical waste has not been identified. We contacted four major French waste management companies to ask whether they were involved in this operation. All replied that they were not concerned. An economic and environmental absurdity As NGOs active in several African countries, we know exactly what a contraceptive shortage means: unintended pregnancies, abandoned children, unsafe abortions, and girls forced out of school at age 12. It also means women trapped in unwanted motherhood. Can France accept to become the executor of a senseless policy imposed by the US without reaction? This destruction is also an economic and environmental absurdity. It costs more ($167,000) than it would to redistribute contraceptives to countries experiencing shortages. Eliminating usable products that are urgently needed in empty health centers will also generate metric tons of CO₂. It's a total waste.
