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6d ago

French Lawmakers Demand Halt to U.S. Plan to Incinerate $9.7 Million in Contraceptives

French legislators have urged President Macron to ask the European Commission to halt the incineration over concerns of deepening contraceptive shortages worldwide

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The US Agency for International Development, the country's foreign aid arm, was dismantled by Donald Trump's administration when he returned to office in January
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Overview

  • The State Department confirmed a preliminary decision to destroy $9.7 million of IUDs and implants from terminated USAID contracts stored in Belgium and said no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed.
  • The incineration will cost $167,000 and stems from the administration’s dismantling of USAID and the reinstatement of the Mexico City policy barring repurposing of existing stockpiles.
  • Green Party leader Marine Tondelier and LFI’s Mathilde Panot led an open letter urging Macron to seek a suspension of the destruction plan through a joint initiative with the European Commission.
  • Doctors Without Borders denounced the proposal as “callous waste” and said that NGOs and UN agencies, including UNFPA and MSI Reproductive Choices, offered to cover redistribution costs but were turned down.
  • Critics warn that destroying viable contraceptives will worsen shortages for an estimated 218 million women worldwide and undermine global sexual and reproductive health efforts.