The United States government’s plan to destroy US$9.7 million worth of contraceptives is a callous waste that puts the health and lives of women and girls at risk. Media reports state that these supplies were purchased and ready to be shipped to regions where they are desperately needed.
“Contraceptives are essential and lifesaving health products,” says Avril Benoît, CEO of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the US. “MSF has seen firsthand the positive health benefits when women and girls can freely make their own health decisions by choosing to prevent or delay pregnancy–and the dangerous consequences when they cannot.
“The US government’s decision to incinerate millions of dollars’ worth of contraceptives is an intentionally reckless and harmful act against women and girls everywhere,” she says.
The US government’s decision to incinerate millions of dollars’ worth of contraceptives is an intentionally reckless and harmful act against women and girls everywhere. Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF in the US
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The contraceptives–including implants, oral contraceptive pills, injectable contraceptives, and intrauterine devices (IUDs)–were purchased with US tax dollars for USAID family planning and reproductive health programmes, which were shut down following the US government’s decision to defund them earlier this year.
MSF teams are concerned about supply shortages of these items. In the communities we serve–whether impacted by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, or exclusion from health care–access to contraceptives is already constrained. Contexts that previously relied upon USAID funded contraceptive supplies are at a heightened risk of supply chain disruptions and stockouts.
According to reports, the contraceptive supplies housed in Belgium are set to be destroyed by the end of July, despite being well within their expiration date and in good condition. The earliest expiration date of some supplies is 2027, with many not expiring until 2031.
Up to US$40 million of US taxpayer money stuck in a supply chain
It is estimated that US$40 million worth of contraceptives are stuck at various points in the global health supply chain. Reports indicate that there is another warehouse of USAID-purchased contraceptives in the United Arab Emirates, but the US government’s plan for those supplies is unknown. MSF calls for transparency from the US government regarding the extent and nature of warehoused supplies that were intended for global health and humanitarian contexts and those that it is likely set to destroy, and the rationale used to justify the destruction of these medical supplies.
“Access to contraception is crucial to women and girls’ health, autonomy, and self-determination,” says Rachel Milkovich, senior policy and advocacy specialist for MSF USA. “We cannot minimise its importance. We must remember that these contraceptives had an intended destination. Women and girls were expecting to use them.”
We must remember that these contraceptives had an intended destination. Women and girls were expecting to use them. Rachel Milkovich, senior policy and advocacy specialist for MSF USA
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“It is unconscionable to think of these health products being burned when the demand for them globally is so great,” adds Milkovich.
The imminent destruction of these contraceptives is the latest in a series of moves by the US government that continue to deepen the growing global health emergency that it created by abruptly terminating billions of dollars of foreign assistance earlier this year.
Just this month, the US government decided to incinerate 500 tons of emergency food assistance, which expired due to its refusal to authorise its delivery for several months. This destruction of nutrition items comes as children are dying from malnutrition in Sudan, Gaza, and many other countries. The US government has also allowed nearly 800,000 mpox vaccines–already committed to countries–to expire, even as cases of the disease continue to spread across many countries.
“The US government manufactured this problem,” says Benoît. “Destroying valuable medical items that were already paid for by US taxpayers does nothing to combat waste or improve efficiency. This administration is willing to let food supplies rot and burn birth control, risking people’s health and lives to push a political agenda.”
More than US$150,000 to destroy despite offers to buy
Media reports estimate that it will cost at least an additional US$167,000 to destroy the contraceptives slated for incineration, which require transportation from the warehouse in Belgium to an incineration site in France for specialised destruction. Given that many of these items have active hormonal ingredients, this massive volume of contraceptives must be incinerated twice to be safely destroyed. This is not an efficient or responsible use of US funds.
Other organisations, such as MSI Reproductive Choices and their partners, offered to pay for the shipment and distribution of these supplies, but the US government declined these offers. MSF is committed to helping identify viable and innovative alternatives to prevent these contraceptive supplies from being burned and destroyed. Ultimately, the most prudent way forward is for these contraceptives to get to Ministries of Health in countries that need them as soon as possible.
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MSF does not accept US government funding, but in many countries our teams support in the final step of administering contraceptives that have been provided to Ministries of Health. Shortages of these supplies from national government stocks will create gaps that MSF teams will not be able to fill.
The gaps left by the US government’s withdrawal of funds for USAID family planning and reproductive health are disrupting the entire global system for these services. The US government was previously the largest bilateral donor, contributing US$607.5 million in the 2024 fiscal year. This shift endangers longstanding progress made to improve women and girls’ health worldwide.
Contraceptives are essential healthcare
Contraceptives can safely and effectively prevent an unintended pregnancy. When a pregnancy is unwanted or mistimed, it can increase the risk of pregnancy complications, including maternal death and injury.
Destroying essential medical supplies further constrains and reduces the ability of local governments and other actors like MSF to meet demand. No single entity can scale up and fill these gaps overnight.
