Washington, DC – The United States has confirmed reports that it will destroy reproductive health supplies previously designated as assistance, sparking fury from advocates and aid groups.
The US Department of State said on Friday that the decision stems from US regulations that restrict aid to groups that perform or promote abortions.
“Only a limited number of commodities have been approved for disposal. No HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera in a statement.
Reproductive health advocates decried the US decision on Friday, saying that Washington is incinerating “life-saving contraceptives” rather than handing them to aid groups to distribute them in poorer countries.
Several advocacy groups – including International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Sensoa and Countdown 2030 Europe – released a statement calling the US move a “cruel and ideologically driven”.
“Despite multiple offers from international humanitarian organisations, governments and global health actors to purchase or redistribute these supplies, the US government has refused all alternatives,” the statement said.
“Instead, they are choosing waste and extremist ideology over care, human rights, safety and health.”
The groups said they offered to transport, repack, store and distribute the supplies at “no cost to the US government”, but their proposal was turned down.
The Reuters news agency had reported that the supplies, set to be destroyed in France, are worth $10m.
The State Department spokesperson said the destruction of the commodities, purchased under the administration of former President Joe Biden, will cost $167,000.
The US statement added that the administration of President Donald Trump managed to cancel previously placed orders worth $34.1m.
Trump has upended US humanitarian aid programmes, all but dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and cutting assistance to countries and groups across the world.
Since running for office the first time in 2015, Trump has presented himself as a staunch opponent of abortion. During his first term, the Republican president appointed three conservative justices to the US Supreme Court, who helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.
The decision to destroy reproductive health supplies, instead of donating or even selling them, has drawn the ire of critics across the world.
Micah Grzywnowicz, regional director of IPPF European Network, said the move shows “complete lack of basic empathy”.
“It’s the height of hypocrisy for a government to preach efficiency and cutting waste, only to turn around and recklessly destroy life-saving supplies when the need has never been greater. This isn’t just inefficient — it’s unconscionable,” Grzywnowicz said in a statement..
“This action seriously undermines global public health efforts and limits access to essential care, particularly for communities already facing significant barriers.”
Earlier this week, Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu said she was “horrified” by the Trump administration’s move.
“The Trump admin is burning $10M in taxpayer-funded birth control despite years left before expiration & the UN ready to deliver it to women in need,” Chu said in a social media post.
“This is cruel, disgraceful, and a needless waste of your taxpayer dollars.”
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