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If you recall, back in January, Trump and his (former) DOGE head, billionaire Elon Musk, halted funding for all federal foreign aid in their attempts to purge the government of "waste and fraud."
The cuts quickly affected over 177 recipient countries, cutting off critical supplies of food and medicine, and shutting down treatment centers to tackle HIV and the prevention of other diseases. Amid the cuts, the Trump administration also ordered the burning of about 500 metric tons of food meant to feed families and children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which sparked outrage online.
Now, in their continued shift away from providing foreign assistance, the Trump administration is set to incinerate $9.7 million worth of contraceptives intended for poor nations, despite offers from the United Nations and a nonprofit organization to purchase or cover the cost of repackaging and shipping the supplies, according to a Reuters report.
Per the report, the US government will spend $167,000 to incinerate the supplies, which include contraceptive implants, pills, and intrauterine devices that are due to expire between April 2027 and September 2031. The US State Department said no condoms or HIV medications would be destroyed. The supplies, currently stored in a Belgian warehouse since the January aid freeze, are being shipped to France for incineration.
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Axios reported that a US State Department spokesperson cited several policies that prohibit the government from providing abortion-related assistance to foreign organizations as the reason for refusing to donate the contraceptive supplies. Reuters, citing a source, reported that the decision was made in accordance with the Mexico City policy, an anti-abortion measure Trump reinstated in January that bars the US from funding or working with organizations that offer or support access to abortion.
California Rep. Judy Chu said she was "horrified" and called the decision "cruel, disgraceful, and a needless waste of your taxpayer dollars."
Beth Davidson, a county legislator in New York, called the story "bizarre" and warned that without access to contraceptive care, more women and girls will be forced to turn to unsafe abortions, increasing the risk of maternal death. She wrote, "Women and girls abroad with unintended pregnancies will seek unsafe abortions. Women and girls will die. Trump would rather waste taxpayer dollars than prevent maternal deaths. Just more of the hypocrisy and misogyny that will forever define the Trump administration and everyone who stands by him. Shameful."
The public is not too pleased either.
"It would actually cost less to deliver them than to burn them, so this is just pure spite," one person said on Reddit. "Hell, offer to sell them for about the cost of burning them, at least someone would benefit."
"I thought you were cutting waste not creating it," another wrote.
"Pure evil," this person said.
"Just like they did with food for starving children that had already been bought. Torch it rather than providing it to the starving children. Both are wasteful, stupid and cruel," another said.
And lastly, this person summed up much of the sentiment felt across social media: "The cruelty is the goal."
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
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