…Despite global shortages and urgent needs in crisis zones, the US government is moving to incinerate millions worth of life-saving contraceptives, drawing sharp criticism from Doctors Without Borders and other health advocates.
By Bunmi Yekini
As fragile communities across the globe struggle to access reproductive health services, the United States government plans to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, prompting outrage from humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The stockpile, reportedly sitting in a warehouse in Belgium, includes a wide range of essential products, implants, IUDs, pills, and injectables, all purchased with US taxpayer dollars and still well within their expiration dates, some lasting until 2031.
“This is not just wasteful, it’s dangerous,” said Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF USA. “Destroying these supplies is an intentionally reckless and harmful act against women and girls everywhere. It puts lives at risk in places where access to contraception is already severely limited.”
The supplies were originally intended for USAID-funded family planning and reproductive health programs that the US government defunded earlier this year. Now, instead of reaching women and girls in war-torn or disaster-affected regions, the contraceptives are set to be incinerated by the end of July, at a further cost of over $167,000 for their destruction.
A Crisis Manufactured
In addition to the contraceptives, reports reveal that $40 million worth of US-funded supplies are stalled across global warehouses. Some are in the United Arab Emirates, but the government’s plans for these remain unclear. The destruction is the latest in a series of controversial decisions, including the recent incineration of 500 tons of expired emergency food aid and the expiration of nearly 800,000 unused mpox vaccines.
“The US government manufactured this problem,” said Benoît. “Letting food rot and burning birth control to push a political agenda does nothing to combat waste, it deepens a global health emergency.”
Offers to Help Rejected
Organizations such as MSI Reproductive Choices reportedly offered to cover shipment and distribution costs to get the supplies to countries in need, but were turned down by the US government.
“There is no excuse to destroy these contraceptives,” Benoît added. “They could be used immediately by health providers around the world, especially in places already suffering from gaps due to the sudden closure of USAID reproductive health programs.”
MSF, which does not accept US government funding, often supports national Ministries of Health by helping administer donated contraceptives. But with the pipeline now disrupted, many of these services face severe shortages MSF cannot quickly fill.
“Access to contraception is crucial to women and girls’ health, autonomy, and self-determination,” said Rachel Milkovich, senior policy and advocacy specialist for MSF USA. “We must remember these contraceptives had an intended destination. Women and girls were expecting to use them. It is unconscionable to think of them being burned.”
The Global Impact
The repercussions are staggering. According to MSF, 164 million women and girls globally want to avoid or delay pregnancy but do not have access to modern contraceptive methods. In conflict or disaster-hit areas, an unplanned pregnancy can increase maternal complications and mortality.
The US government had previously been the largest bilateral donor to global family planning and reproductive health programs, contributing $607.5 million in FY2024. Its withdrawal has triggered a domino effect, unraveling years of progress.
“No single organization can fill this gap overnight,” Benoît warned. “But what we can do is stop this destruction, and ensure those supplies reach the people who need them most.”