The Trump administration in the US has decided to destroy women’s contraceptive materials worth about $10 million. There has been an uproar in the country after this decision. Doctors and aid groups have called it an attack on women’s rights and a wasteful step. The material is stored in Belgium and is planned to be burned in France. Both European countries are under pressure to stop the destruction process.
The move is a particularly big blow to women in poor countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa.
On July 18, British newspaper The Guardian quoted two US congressional sources as saying that the Trump administration was going to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptive materials, such as IUDs and birth control implants. This material is kept in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel and it is planned to burn it by the end of July.
A US State Department spokesperson said the material was related to a USAID deal ended by the Biden administration. Trump abolished USAID as soon as he took office in January. USAID was a major and important source for foreign aid. The spokesperson said the destruction process would cost $167,000 and did not involve any HIV medication or condoms. But the decision has sparked criticism around the world.
The State Department also said the move was taken under the Mexico City Policy, which critics call the “global gag rule.”