Overview

• The U.S. State Department approved a preliminary plan under the reinstated Mexico City Policy to destroy $9.7 million in contraceptives purchased by USAID and stored in Geel, Belgium.
• Shipments have been dispatched to France for incineration, incurring over $160,000 in transport and destruction fees, though officials say it is unclear if burning has started.
• Belgian and French foreign affairs ministries are pressing Washington to relocate or transfer the supplies to U.N. agencies and NGOs for free redistribution to clinics.
• Health experts warn the drugs—with shelf lives through 2027–2031—could have averted about 362,000 unintended pregnancies, 110,000 unsafe abortions and 718 maternal deaths in African nations.
• Congressional proposals to block the incineration lack sufficient support and face slim odds of passage before the destruction is carried out.