July 24, 2025
Belgium blocks destruction as supplies sit in storage, some now ruined due to improper handling
State Department confirmed in Jul. 2025 it plans to incinerate $9.7 million worth of contraceptives intended for women in low-income countries
Destroying the supplies will cost taxpayers $167,000 at a French medical waste facility
The contraceptives include long-acting IUDs, birth control implants, and pills stored in a Belgian warehouse with expiration dates from 2027 to 2031
About 77% were earmarked for five African nations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Mali
MSI Reproductive Choices offered to purchase, repackage and manage logistics at their expense but was repeatedly rejected
The contraceptives could have provided pregnancy prevention for more than 650,000 people for up to one year according to Guttmacher Institute
USAID family planning programs previously prevented 8.1 million unintended pregnancies, 5.2 million unsafe abortions, and 34,000 maternal deaths annually
Total USAID funding cuts could lead to more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030 according to Lancet study
Secretary of State
U.S. Senator (D-NH)
Principal Research Scientist, Guttmacher Institute
CEO, Doctors Without Borders USA
Africa Regional Director, IPPF
Global family planning organization