The Trump administration is preparing to destroy nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives, incurring an extra $167,000 cost to taxpayers in the process.
Despite offers from charities to distribute contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and implants at no cost, key figures in President Donald Trump’s administration have decided to proceed with the destruction.
This decision aligns with the administration’s broader goal of dismantling USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, which is the largest global provider of aid.
In 2023, the US allocated $68 billion to international aid, representing 0.6 percent of the government’s $6.75 trillion annual budget, according to government data.
This initiative is part of the 79-year-old president’s strategy to cut federal spending and overseas expenditures, which he argues is crucial for reducing the national debt, currently at $36.7 trillion. However, his new policy is projected to contribute an additional $3.3 trillion to the debt.
The administration is opting for this more expensive course of action, despite the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s (IPPF) offer to absorb all costs associated with storing, packaging, and distributing the contraceptives globally.
Marcel Van Valen, head of IPPF’s supply chain, called the government’s justification for burning the products instead of distributing them “utter nonsense.”
He mentioned that the charity had even proposed to manage the logistics themselves.
“[IPPF has offered to] go and collect the products, to repack them [at] our cost and to do the distribution throughout the globe with our partners and even competitors in this space,” Van Valen stated, according to the Independent.
Additionally, the non-profit MSI Reproductive Choices expressed willingness to handle the contraceptives.
“This isn’t about government efficiencies. This is about exporting an ideology that’s harmful to women,” said Sarah Shaw, the organization’s associate advocacy director, as reported by the publication.
“The annual contraceptive bill for Senegal for the entire country is $3m a year. So the contents of that warehouse could have met all of Senegal’s contraceptive needs for three years. And instead, we’re going to see massive shortages.
“We’re going to see Senegalese women dying of unsafe abortion, girls having to drop out of school.”
The contraceptives were stored in warehouses in France and Belgium, but they are now being moved to a specialized facility for incineration.