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The United States has been criticized by international health activists following confirmation of plans to incinerate a $10 million stockpile of reproductive health materials that were initially intended as aid. The move, the US State Department said, follows American law that bars funding to organizations engaged in the provision or promotion of abortion.
A State Department official clarified on Friday that a small selection of reproductive health commodities would be destroyed, with no effect on HIV drugs or condoms. But the action has outraged aid agencies, who say the supplies such as contraceptives are life-saving and could still be sent to needy countries.
This isn’t only wasteful, it’s ideologically motivated,” asserted a collective statement from groups such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Sensoa, and Countdown 2030 Europe. They denounced the demolition as “cruel and ideologically motivated,” particularly as several offers were extended to ship, warehouse, and deliver the materials free of charge to the US government.
In spite of these proposals, the US refused to seek alternatives and instead chose to burn the stockpile in France. Reuters quotes that the destroyed supplies are worth $10 million and their disposal cost is estimated at $167,000.
Most of the supplies were purchased under President Joe Biden’s administration. But the origins of the policy are traceable to former President Donald Trump’s re-establishment and expansion of the “Global Gag Rule,” banning US funding for foreign organisations that offer or even talk about abortion services. During his time, Trump also terminated orders for reproductive health supplies worth more than $34 million and reorganised the US Agency for International Development (USAID), cutting global aid programmes substantially.
Trump’s position on abortion has been a staple of his political campaign. Throughout his first term, he nominated three conservative Supreme Court justices, paving the way for the court’s ruling in 2022 that overturned the constitutional abortion right.
The destruction of the supplies has been criticized by many, including politicians. Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu described the action as “disgraceful,” highlighting that the supplies had years before they expired and were eligible to be redistributed through the UN.
Micah Grzywnowicz, European Network regional director of IPPF, condemned the US action as a “complete lack of empathy” and cautioned that it weakens world public health initiatives.
At a moment when access to reproductive care is in jeopardy, it’s not only inefficient to destroy these supplies it’s unconscionable,” said Grzywnowicz.
