The US government’s plan to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives is a callous waste that puts the health and lives of women and girls at risk, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today.
Media reports state that these supplies were purchased and ready to be shipped to fragile and conflict-affected regions.
“Contraceptives are essential and lifesaving health products,” said Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF USA. “MSF has seen firsthand the positive health benefits when women and girls can freely make their own health decisions by choosing to prevent or delay pregnancy—and the dangerous consequences when they cannot. The US government’s decision to incinerate millions of dollars’ worth of contraceptives is an intentionally reckless and harmful act against women and girls everywhere."
The US government manufactured this problem. Destroying valuable medical items that were already paid for by US taxpayers does nothing to combat waste or improve efficiency. This administration is willing to burn birth control and let food supplies rot, risking people’s health and lives to push a political agenda.
Avril Benoît, CEO of MSF USA
