The battle to stop the US from destroying contraceptives for Africa is being fought in Belgium and France

The first alarm was raised at the end of July: several humanitarian and family planning NGOs denounced the Trump administration’s intention to imminently destroy a major shipment of contraceptives. USAID, the U.S. aid agency, was storing them in Belgium, awaiting distribution to humanitarian missions, mostly in Africa. The operation, along with the contraceptives, was left in limbo when the U.S. government decided to dismantle its well-regarded development agency — a move that, according to the scientific journal The Lancet, could lead to as many as 14 million preventable deaths by 2030.

Washington’s order was that the pills, intrauterine devices, and hormonal implants stored in Belgium — valued at nearly $10 million — be incinerated in neighboring France. The outcry from civil society in both Europe and the United States seems, for now, to have stalled a measure that international organizations warn endangers the health of up to 1.4 million women and girls.

A month later, the shipment — scheduled for destruction in early August — remains, apparently, stored in the Belgian town of Geel, near Antwerp. At least that is what NGOs suspect, since the U.S. State Department, which took over after USAID’s closure, refuses to explicitly confirm its status.

“We understand that the stocks are still in Belgium; we don’t have definitive confirmation, but the indirect information we’ve received is that they’re still here,” said Federico Dessi, director of Doctors of the World Belgium.

The Belgian government insists it is not standing idly by. “As soon as we learned of the possible destruction of the contraceptives stored in a warehouse in Geel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched diplomatic efforts with the U.S. Embassy in Brussels,” a spokeswoman told this newspaper by email. “All possible avenues are being explored to prevent destruction, including temporary relocation,” she said, though she declined to give details of the negotiations “so as not to prejudice the outcome.”

Pressure is also mounting in France, where the Green Party has called on President Emmanuel Macron to intervene: “This decision is an affront to the fundamental principles of solidarity, public health, and sexual and reproductive rights that France defends,” said Green Party leader Marine Tondelier in a letter to Macron. A citizen petition has also been sent to France’s National Assembly urging “the government to be questioned on this issue and to do everything possible to prevent this incineration on French and European soil.”

The French Health Ministry said that France, “unfortunately, has no legal means to requisition the stockpile, as these are not medicines of major therapeutic interest,” and “does not have a supply problem” with this type of product.

Even so, NGOs argue that governments can intervene to prevent incineration — a measure they warn makes no sense given its cost of $167,000. “That’s more than what it would cost to distribute them,” said Sarah Shaw, director of London-based MSI Reproductive Choices.

Biden-era aid

In response to a query from EL PAÍS, a State Department spokesperson simply confirmed last week, without clarifying a timeframe, that “a preliminary decision has been made to destroy certain abortive contraceptive products from terminated Biden-era USAID contracts,” which do not include “HIV medications or condoms.”

According to the official explanation, Washington is merely enforcing the so-called “Mexico City policy,” also known as the Global Gag Rule. Since its introduction in 1984 under president Ronald Reagan, it has restricted U.S. foreign aid to organizations that provide, advise on, or promote legal abortion services, regardless of local laws or whether U.S. funds are used for such activities. Just days after returning to the White House, Trump reinstated this rule, traditionally maintained by Republican governments and rescinded by Democrats.

Despite Washington’s silence, civic and political organizations in Belgium and France remain hopeful, using this hiatus to increase pressure on their governments to stop the destruction of perfectly usable contraceptives with several years of shelf life. Several NGOs have even offered to acquire them at no cost to the U.S., or handle the logistics to ensure they reach their intended destinations.

“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,” said Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in a statement. The organization offered technical support to help deliver the contraceptives to countries in need. “It is unacceptable to think that these medical products could be incinerated when global demand is so high,” said Rachel Milkovich, MSF’s sexual health specialist in the U.S.

Unwanted pregnancies

Earlier this month, along with about 15 other civil organizations, Doctors of the World Belgium sent a letter — through lawyers — to the Belgian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Development, demanding that they seize the stock stored on Belgian soil to “prevent its destruction.” They never received an official response, says Federico Dessi, and are now considering new actions, including the possibility of sending a formal demand letter legally obliging authorities to explain what steps they are taking.

“We want to encourage ministers to take action and find a way to save these stockpiles, ideally through diplomatic means, so they can be used to meet the needs of vulnerable people who require contraceptives for family planning and the prevention of infectious and communicable diseases,” said Dessi.

This argument is “completely false,” said Shaw, insisting that the U.S. administration “rejected all offers to purchase them.”

“These are not abortion-related items, but contraceptives. And as far as we know, even the current U.S. government policy isn’t necessarily against contraceptives,” said Dessi. “We sincerely believe there’s no contradiction between these items and what U.S. policy could be, since destroying them actually undermines public health and, in some ways, contributes to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in different countries.” Despite the few positive signs, she says they won’t throw in the towel: “We hope the governments will reach an agreement.”