The Trump administration has made a preliminary decision to destroy abortion-inducing materials that were purchased through now-terminated contracts under the Biden administration.
A spokesperson at the State Department confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the abortifacient birth control commodities, which came from now-terminated USAID contracts from the Biden administration, will be destroyed. No-cost cancellations of pending orders were negotiated and will save taxpayers $34.1 million.
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The State Department also confirmed a limited number of supplies will be disposed of, but none of which are HIV medications or condoms.
The Trump administration is acting in accordance with two different policies: the Mexico City Policy and the Kemp-Kasten amendment. The Mexico City Policy prohibits direct or indirect assistance to foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortion. The Kemp-Kasten amendment forbids providing any assistance in the management of a program facilitating coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. Following these policies also means the government cannot provide non-abortifacient contraceptives to any entities that do not comply with the policies.
Several outlets have reported that contraceptives for women overseas will also be destroyed, however the State Department did not confirm this.
The supplies in question have been housed for months at a warehouse in Geel, a city in the Belgian province of Antwerp, and are worth nearly $10 million according to Reuters. They are primarily long-acting contraceptives, such as IUDs and birth control implants. Two senior congressional aides told the Guardian confirmed that the supplies were likely intended for women in Africa. One of those aides reportedly visited the Belgium warehouse.
The Belgian foreign ministry said Brussels discussed “all possible” options with the U.S. to avoid the destruction of the supplies. The two aides told the outlet they do not know if the destruction has already been carried out, but they have been told the plan is for the supplies to be destroyed by the end of July.
Two U.S. lawmakers, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), have introduced legislation to stop the allegedly planned destruction, but it is unlikely to pass before the supplies are destroyed.
“This is a waste of US taxpayer dollars and an abdication of US global leadership in preventing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths,” Shaheen said. She also sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in June addressing the issue.
The White House has reportedly rejected offers from the United Nations and other organizations to handle the supplies and avoid their destruction. Organizations have also opted to buy or ship the contraceptives to nations in need.
Sarah Shaw, Associate Director of Advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, told Reuters her organization volunteered to pay for the supplies to be repackaged as the trademarked packaging complicated the situation since the Trump administration did not want any USAID-branded supplies to be sent elsewhere. MSI Reproductive Choices also offered to ship the materials to other countries. Shaw told the outlet that the U.S. government said they were not open to the idea and that they would only sell the supplies at full market value.
“This is clearly not about saving money,” Shaw said. “It feels more like an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women.”
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A State Department spokesperson told The Guardian that rebranding and selling the contraceptives could cost several million dollars and that most of the contraceptives have less than 70% of their shelf life left before they expire. However, the aide who visited the warehouse said that from what they saw, the earliest expiration date on the supplies was 2027, and USAID-branded packaging only covered a third of the contraceptives.
“It’s not just about an empty shelf,” Shaw said. “It’s about unfulfilled potential. It’s about a girl having to drop out of school. It’s about someone having to seek an unsafe abortion and risking their lives. That’s what it’s really about.”