Sensoa, the Flemish expertise centre for sexual health, has condemned a plan by the US government to destroy contraceptives worth some $12 million (around €10.36 million) stored partly in a depot in Geel, Antwerp Province.
The contraceptives were purchased by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist developing countries, but they are now at risk of being wasted due to President Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle the agency. Efforts by international humanitarian groups and other organisations to buy and redistribute the stock have been rebuffed by the US government.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), which includes Sensoa, has offered to collect and distribute the contraceptives to women in need worldwide at no additional cost to the US government. Sensoa argues that Trump’s decision is not financially motivated, as reports indicate that destroying the stock could cost up to $167,000 (about €144,000), all paid by US taxpayers.
“The fact that the US government is willing to pay extra to destroy usable supplies instead of donating them to other organisations is cruel. These supplies have the potential to save lives,” said Nico Bogaerts, director of Sensoa.
According to Sensoa and its international counterparts, the Trump administration's move is “a deliberate attempt to restrict the reproductive choices of women and their partners.”
IPPF research suggests that the sexual and reproductive healthcare of 8.5 million people globally is at risk due to budget cuts by the Trump administration. Sensoa views that decision as “a final assault to dismantle access to healthcare on a global scale.”
