Reporting in The Guardian says the administration has planned the destruction of $9.7 million worth of long-acting contraceptives meant for women abroad in need. The state department confirmed that the decision has been made, at a cost of another $167,000, to destroy the products, mostly IUDs and birth control implants, most likely intended for women in Africa, including war zones and refugee camps, according to two congressional aides, one who visited the warehouse in Belgium where they are located.
It isn’t certain if the destruction has been carried out, but it is scheduled to be completed before the end of July. A state department spokesperson said the contraceptives could not be repurposed or sold because of US laws and rules that prohibit sending US aid to organizations that provide abortion services, counsel people about the procedure or advocate for the right overseas. The spokesperson stated that many had less than 70% of their shelf life left, but the aide who visited the warehouse said the earliest expiration date was 2027, and two thirds of the contraceptives did not include USAID labels that would need to be rebranded.
MSI Reproductive Choices, a global family planning organization that works in nearly 40 countries offered to purchase the contraceptives, but the government would only accept full price, which Shaw and the agency could not afford, given MSI would then shoulder the expense of transporting and distribution. MSI does offer abortions. I find it rather telling that we would rather pay more money to destroy these products than sell them and recoup some of the taxpayer losses.
Pregnancy is always with risk, and pregnancy in war zones and refugee camps are higher in that risk. Every pregnancy in that area is a risk of death, and a risk of leaving your existing children without a mother. That our country would rather pay to burn these items than sell them to MSI to reduce the number of possible dangerous abortions that might occur is an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars, and rather blatant argument for the regular condemnation about their anti-abortion stance. They are pro-birth and pro controlling women’s bodies. If they really wanted to reduce abortion, they would provide access to safe, reliable birth control for those women until they are in a position to have a safe pregnancy and provide a good life for their children. MSI has offered to shoulder the burden if they can buy the contraceptives at reduced cost, but once again, our Congress allows the administration to pursue a far-right religious crusade to make women pregnant again.