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2w ago

Belgium Disputes U.S. Claim of Destroying $10 Million in Contraceptives

Flemish inspectors report the USAID stockpile remains in a Geel warehouse, contradicting statements that it was incinerated.

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - SEPTEMBER 11: U.S. President Donald Trump observes a moment of silence during a September 11th observance event in the courtyard of the Pentagon September 11, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. Today marks the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
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Overview

  • USAID told news outlets on Thursday that the $9.7 million in pills, IUDs and implants had been destroyed, calling the move a refusal to supply what it labeled “abortifacient birth control.”
  • Flemish authorities said Friday an on-site inspection found the goods still in storage, no shipments had left for incineration, and no exemption had been requested under a regional ban on burning usable medical products.
  • Inventory lists indicate the products prevent pregnancy and are not abortifacients, a category USAID is legally barred from procuring; many items do not expire until 2027–2031.
  • UNFPA, the Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and other groups offered to buy or accept the stockpile at no cost to U.S. taxpayers, but the offers were declined; destruction was estimated to cost about $167,000.
  • Documents attribute the June destruction directive to State Department official Jeremy Lewin during USAID’s wind-down overseen by Russell Vought, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio assuming oversight earlier this year.