Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
5h ago

U.S. to Incinerate $9.7 Million in Contraceptives in France After Rejecting Redistribution Offers

Delayed legislation means the planned incineration will proceed despite global efforts to redirect the supplies.

The USAID building sits closed to employees after a memo was issued advising agency personnel to work remotely, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo
A view of a warehouse of Kuehne+Nagel, which houses U.S.-funded contraceptives worth nearly $10 million, after the U.S. State Department confirmed that the stocks would be sent to France to be destroyed, in Geel, Belgium July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Marta Fiorin/File Photo
The Trump administration has decided to burn $10 million worth of contraceptives rather than distribute the supplies to poor countries.
Image

Overview

  • The contraceptives have sat in a Geel, Belgium warehouse since January after President Trump froze USAID funding and reinstated the Mexico City Policy
  • The stockpile comprises intrauterine devices, implants and pills worth $9.7 million with expiration dates through 2031
  • Washington declined purchase or shipment proposals from UNFPA, MSI Reproductive Choices and other aid groups seeking to repurpose the supplies
  • The U.S. will spend about $160,000 to burn the contraceptives at a medical-waste facility in France
  • Congressional bills introduced this month aim to stop the destruction but are unlikely to clear both chambers before the incineration proceeds