The Trump administration has chosen to burn almost $10 million worth of contraceptives rather than send them to poor nations, according to Reuters. Sources told the outlet that the U.S. government rejected offers from the United Nations and aid groups to help distribute the supplies, which include contraceptive implants, pills, and intrauterine devices. They had been sitting in a warehouse in Belgium since January following Trump’s decision to freeze all foreign aid and shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development. The government will now spend around $160,000 to incinerate all $9.7 million worth of supplies at a facility in France. The Belgian Foreign Ministry stated that it had explored “all possible options to prevent the destruction” with U.S. authorities, to no avail. “Nevertheless, Belgium continues to actively seek solutions to avoid this regrettable outcome,” it said in a statement Tuesday, adding that “sexual and reproductive health must not be subject to ideological constraints.” Associate director of advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, Sarah Shaw, said that the government rejected the nonprofit’s offer to “pay for repackaging, shipping, and import duties.” “This is clearly not about saving money. It feels more like an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women,” she said.
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