Officials weigh fate of nearly $10 million in contraceptives facing destruction: 'Would be a waste of US taxpayer dollars'

Nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives purchased with American tax dollars could be incinerated, the Associated Press reports.

What's happening?

The stockpile has been sitting in a "U.S.-funded warehouse" in the city of Geel, Belgium, for an unspecified timeframe.

It is said to include various forms of long-acting reversible contraception, such as pills, intrauterine devices, implants, and injectables. 

According to CNN, the earliest expiration date for contraceptives stored in the warehouse is in 2027, with some not set to expire until 2031.

In a release, Doctors Without Borders — also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF — called plans to destroy the medical devices and pills "unconscionable," "a callous waste" that jeopardizes the lives of those who can become pregnant.

It's worth noting that many of the products may also be used for purposes other than pregnancy prevention, such as the treatment of endometriosis and the management of heavy menstrual bleeding.

The cache of contraceptives was originally procured by the United States Agency for International Development, which was controversially and abruptly dismantled by the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year. 

USAID requisitioned the supplies for distribution in low- and middle-income countries and crisis settings as part of the agency's broader international aid work. Nongovernmental organizations have reported that the sudden cessation of USAID operations has imperiled lives, caused chaos, and resulted in the waste of food and other critical resources.

Plans to incinerate the contraceptives have drawn bipartisan criticism, including in a letter from Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"This action would be a waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars as well as an abdication of U.S. global leadership in preventing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths — key goals of U.S. foreign assistance," the lawmakers wrote.

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A State Department spokesperson said that incinerating the stockpile would cost taxpayers an additional $167,000, per CNN. A congressional aide, meanwhile, told the news outlet that, because the active ingredients would not be absorbed in human bodies, "They have to double incinerate the products because they contain high levels of hormones and they don't want to risk leaking the byproducts out in the environment, which likely adds to the cost."

Why is this so important?

In their release, MSF USA chief executive officer Avril Benoît described the contraceptives as "essential and lifesaving health products."

"The U.S. government's decision to incinerate millions of dollars' worth of contraceptives is an intentionally reckless and harmful act against women and girls everywhere," Benoît remarked.

The humanitarian organization said the plan was the "latest in a series of moves by the U.S. government" that exacerbated a "growing global health emergency [the government] created by abruptly terminating billions of dollars of foreign assistance" in early 2025. 

The potential spoilage and waste of $500 million worth of food aid was met with shock when first reported in February, and MSF cited a separate decision to incinerate food aid this month.

In mid-July, the State Department confirmed and defended its decision to intentionally destroy 500 tons of food that it said had expired. 

With the stockpiled contraceptives not set to expire for years, waste concerns include not only the medical items themselves but also the potential burning of paper and plastic packaging as well as wasted production and shipping. 

What's being done about it?

In addition to bipartisan efforts from American lawmakers to prevent the incineration of the contraceptives, European leaders have sought to intervene.

Concerns that the products could be moved to France for incineration have prompted members of the country's Green Party to request that "the [European] Commission's legal services assess the legality of destroying medical goods on [European Union] soil under EU legislation, citing the bloc's commitments to sustainable development and gender equality," according to Euractiv.

The aid group MSI Reproductive Choices has also offered to "purchase, repackage, and manage logistics at [MSI's] expense, ensuring the products reach those in need," but so far it has been "repeatedly" rebuffed.

Officials in Belgium confirmed negotiations with the U.S. government to attempt to prevent the destruction but declined to say more "to avoid influencing the outcome" of the talks.

CNN also reported that MSF has "cited reports saying that more USAID-branded contraceptives are being housed in a warehouse in the United Arab Emirates." Advocates may next focus their attentions on attempts to save these supplies from going to waste.

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