Around fifty activists gathered on Thursday outside the US embassy in Brussels to protest the decision by US President Donald Trump to destroy millions of euros’ worth of contraceptives stored in Belgium.
The protest was organised by groups including the Federation of Secular Centres for Family Planning (FLCPF), Sensoa, 11.11.11, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
They condemned the planned destruction of 26 million condoms, millions of oral contraceptive packs, and hundreds of thousands of implantable contraceptives. The stock, valued at $9.7 million (approximately €8.36 million), is kept in Geel, in the Campine region.
Sensoa stated that Belgium had offered to buy the contraceptives, but the proposal was rejected by Washington. The organisation accused the Trump administration of a "deliberately cruel and morally reprehensible" act, saying, "The president burns lives and money."
The associations estimate the potential consequences of the destruction at 362,000 unintended pregnancies, 161,000 unplanned births, 110,000 unsafe abortions – with some being illegal – and 718 preventable maternal deaths.
“Trump is waging war on women and exporting his ultraconservative policies to the rest of the world,” said the FLCPF. Activists also criticised Washington for creating confusion about the quantity of contraceptives being stored and the timeline for their destruction, alleging the White House aimed to stifle public opposition.
Protest action by Sensoa, with the Lay Federation of Family Planning Centres (FLCPF), 11.11.11 and the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network, in front of the US Embassy, in Brussels, on Thursday 18 September 2025. Credit: Belga
Ecolo federal MP Sara Schlitz described the decision as “monstrous and inadmissible,” urging the Belgian government to stand firm.
"It is unacceptable that Donald Trump’s policies extend to our territory and sovereignty. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has remained notably silent on this issue, and we are still waiting for an official response," she stated.
Socialist MP Delphine Chabert joined the criticism, declaring, "The project supported by Trump is a war on women and a war on gender and sexual minorities. We will never allow this. We will always fight to defend women’s rights, their ability to control their bodies, and choose their lives and futures."
Carine Thibaut, director of Amnesty International Belgium’s Francophone division, called the situation "Kafkaesque".
"This is a deliberate choice by the Trump administration to attack women and LGBTQIA+ communities. These contraceptives have already been paid for," she stated.
"Multiple organisations have attempted to recover or even purchase them to distribute, but the US government has consistently refused. They have been adamant about incinerating the stock, reiterating this just days ago in an interview with the New York Times."
Last week, the New York Times reported that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had destroyed the stock on White House orders. However, Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns (CD&V) immediately denied this claim.
