U.S.-Funded Contraceptives Meant for Crisis Zones Are Headed for the Furnace—Unless Congress Acts

Nearly $10 million worth of U.S.-funded contraceptives—purchased to support women in some of the most desperate places on Earth—are currently sitting in a Belgian warehouse, slated for destruction. The supplies include long-acting contraceptives such as implants and IUDs, as well as birth control pills, many of which remain sealed, viable and do not expire until 2031.

The stockpile was originally intended for use in refugee camps, war zones and regions with fragile health systems—places where maternal mortality is high, sexual violence is widespread, and access to reproductive healthcare is severely limited. But due to lingering effects of Trump-era restrictions on U.S. foreign aid, the contraceptives have been blocked from distribution and are slated to be incinerated in a French industrial furnace.

According to The New York Times, the State Department has claimed that the supplies marked for destruction were “abortifacients”—drugs or devices that induce abortion. However, none of the contraceptives stored in the Belgian warehouse fit that definition. Under U.S. law, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is prohibited from purchasing products that induce abortion.

“This isn’t just about waste. It’s about knowingly destroying women’s access to life-saving reproductive care—at a time when sexual violence, maternal mortality, and forced pregnancies are rising around the world,” said Kathy Spillar, executive director of the Feminist Majority Foundation and executive editor of Ms. magazine.

According to advocates, there are qualified organizations—including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and MSI Reproductive Choices—prepared to accept and distribute the supplies at no additional cost to the U.S. government. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appointed earlier this year, has not authorized their release.

“These are long-lasting contraceptives, purchased, packaged and prepped to save lives,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and publisher of Ms. “They’re not expired. They’re not fraudulent. They’re just caught in a web of ideological cruelty.”

In response, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) have introduced legislation to stop the destruction. The Saving Lives and Taxpayer Dollars Act would require the contraceptives to be released for their intended humanitarian use and prohibit incineration of still-viable medical supplies.

“If the goal of Congress was to eliminate waste, this is the time to speak up,” Spillar said. “And if, as we’re told in every floor speech, members of Congress ‘care deeply about women,’ then here’s the test.”

Advocates are urging members of the public to call or email their senators and representatives to demand they pressure the State Department to release the contraceptives, not destroy them.

How to Take Action

You can email your representative and senators, or call:

• Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your senator and/or representative.
• Suggested messages: “Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling to urge you to speak out against the destruction of $10 million in U.S.-funded contraceptives now stored in Belgium. These supplies are paid for, fully viable, and meant to save women’s lives in areas of crisis. I urge you to contact Secretary Rubio and demand that these be released for distribution—not incinerated. Thank you.”

A Bigger Picture

Every blister pack of pills, every unopened IUD, was meant to offer a woman a sliver of agency—a way to survive and build a future in places where those options are often stolen from her. To burn them is to declare that her future was never the priority.

“There is still time for Secretary Rubio and Congress to choose a wiser course,” said Smeal. “One that upholds policy without punishing women. One that says we do not incinerate care—we extend it.”