Lawmakers and activists in both Europe and the U.S. are urgently trying to prevent the destruction of $10 million worth of birth control pills financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
These pills have been stored in a Belgian warehouse for months after President Trump halted all foreign aid and effectively shut down USAID earlier this year.
“They aren’t even close to expiration,” noted Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of the reproductive health organization PAI. She suggested that the government could redistribute the pills or allow certain entities to acquire them, although the administration has opposed these options.
Many lawmakers, activists, and nonprofit organizations focused on reproductive health are criticizing this decision as a waste of taxpayer money, which ultimately harms millions of women and girls in developing nations.
“It’s like a death sentence written into policy,” Kazi Hutchins remarked.
A significant portion—over 75%—of these supplies was designated for five African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mali, and Congo, according to a report from the International Federation of Planned Parenthood.
Nonprofits estimate that if these supplies are destroyed, about 1.4 million women and girls in those regions will lose access to essential reproductive care.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) tried to purchase the contraceptives but was denied, as was MSI, a reproductive health group based in London, according to a spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the Belgian government has reached out to the U.S. embassy in Brussels to advocate for the protection of these contraceptives.
“[The Ministry of] Foreign Affairs is exploring every avenue to prevent the destruction of these stocks, including temporary relocations,” said Steverlynck, a spokesperson for the Ministry.
“We can’t disclose further details at this stage to avoid jeopardizing these discussions.”
In response, Democrats have introduced two bills; one in the Senate and another in the House, aimed at compelling Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ensure that food supplies and birth control pills already acquired reach their intended recipients before they expire.
Representative Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) has led dozens of lawmakers in sending a letter to Arne B. Baker, requesting an investigation into the handling of the contraceptives.
In France, family planning advocates have rallied against the destruction of the birth control pills, urging President Emmanuel Macron to take action.
French lawmakers in particular, including Marine Tundelier of the Green Party, sent an open letter to Macron, calling the cuts in birth control aid “shameful” and asserting that France should intervene since the stockpile is located there.
The French government has claimed that it cannot legally store the contraceptives unilaterally. Melissa Kamala, a member of the European Parliament, has asked the European Commission to step in, stating they would “monitor the situation and seek solutions.”
Though there were plans to incinerate the contraceptives in France last month, it’s unclear if that has occurred. PAI, MSI, and other health groups are trying to track the status of these products, but have received no updates from European officials.
“It could happen next week or in the next few months, but honestly, no one knows for sure,” Kazi Hutchins commented.
Le Planning Familial, a French family planning organization, has indicated that the contraceptives are leaving the Belgian warehouse for “an unknown destination.”
Sarah Durocher, the president of Le Planning Familial, emphasized that they are pressuring the French government to intervene through petitions and social media.
The International Federation of Planned Parenthood has noted that the earliest of the birth control pills in stock are set to expire in 2027.
Despite this, a State Department spokesperson indicated a “preliminary decision” to destroy substances related to abortion in the stockpile, although assured that HIV medications and condoms would remain intact.
A source familiar with the Belgian supplies revealed that the stock includes a mix of hormonal birth control pills, shots, implants, and IUDs, none of which are designed for use in abortions.
One individual who visited the warehouse informed that no abortifacients were identified there. Moreover, USAID is prohibited by federal law from procuring abortifacients.
“That’s simply not true,” said Sarah Shaw, associate director of MSI’s advocacy for reproductive choices. “This is a glaring misrepresentation of some birth control methods, unfairly blaming the women who use them.”
Questions regarding the stockpile and the rationale for the destruction remain unanswered by the State Department.
