“A harmful act for women and girls around the world.” The United States predicts to destroy female contraception products worth several million dollars, causing the anger of NGOs as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which denounced on Thursday, July 23, “an irresponsible act.”
A $ 9.7 million value
A “preliminary decision to destroy certain abortive contraceptive products from USAID contracts was taken,” said the American International Development Agency that was dismantled by the Trump administration, a spokesman for the State Department told AFP, confirming The Guardian Daily, who revealed the case the case the case last weekend.
According to the press information, this is the means of contraception (implants, ITB) for a value of $ 9.7 million, stored in Belgium and must be cremated in France.
The spokesman said that “only a limited number of products has been approved to be destroyed” at a cost of $ 167,000. “A drug or HIV condom will not be destroyed,” he said.
“Deliberately irresponsible act”
Last week, the Trump administration acknowledged having destroyed tons of food for children with malnutrition, because this food expired. These cases intervene at a time when the United States is drastically reviewing its international aid, and Congress suppressed about $ 9 billion in help last Friday, mainly abroad.
The Trump administration also ended the USAID, which was integrated into the State Department, returned thousands of employees, and eliminated a series of programs that promote family planning or abortion.
Therefore, the United States government refrains from providing help, directly or indirectly, to foreign non -governmental organizations that actively practice abortion as a family planning method.
“The decision of the US government (…) is a deliberately irresponsible and detrimental act towards women and girls from around the world,” said Benoît, who directs MSF USA, the American branch of the NGO.
MSF underlines in its press release that other organizations proposed to cover the shipping and distribution costs of these supplies, “but the United States government has rejected these offers.”
“What the Trump administration plans to do with these products, even if they are far from having reached their expiration date, is incinerating them all,” Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen interviewed in the British Radio BBC, speaking of an opposite act “to the values of the United States” and “simply waste.” She said she presented a legislation proposal to avoid destruction.
Source: BFM TV
