US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says

The US government’s plan to burn nearly $9.7 million (£7.3 million) worth of contraceptives is expected to cause 56,000 unsafe abortions and 174,000 unwanted pregnancies in five African nations.

According to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), a global non-governmental organization that provides healthcare and advocates for sexual and reproductive rights, more than three-quarters of the contraceptives (77%) were headed for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Mali.

The contraceptives had already been produced, packaged, and prepared for distribution; many of them won’t expire until 2027 or 2029. They were turned down when IPPF offered to take them for redistribution at no expense to US taxpayers.

Marie Evelyne Petrus-Barry, the Africa regional director of IPPF, said: “This decision to destroy ready-to-use commodities is appalling and extremely wasteful. These lifesaving medical supplies were destined to countries where access to reproductive care is already limited, and in some cases, part of a broader humanitarian response, such as in the DRC. The choice to incinerate them is unjustifiable.”

Dr Bakari, a project coordinator at Umati, IPPF’s member association in Tanzania, said: “We are facing a major challenge. The impact of the USAID funding cuts has already significantly affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health services in Tanzania, leading to a shortage of contraceptive commodities, especially implants. This shortage has directly impacted clients’ choices regarding family planning uptake.”

Women in Mali will not have access to 95,800 implants and 1.2 million oral contraceptives, which represents nearly a quarter (24%) of the nation’s yearly requirement. In Zambia, women will go without 48,400 implants and 295,000 injectable contraceptives, while in Kenya 108,000 women will not have access to contraceptive implants.

The decision to destroy the contraception was confirmed by a US State Department spokeswoman last month. After feminist, rights, and family planning organizations voiced their concern over the suggestion, the French government said it was “following the situation closely” amid allegations that the contraceptives were going to be burned in France.