RH Alert: The true cost behind destroying $9.7M of contraceptives

29th July 2025

Destroying taxpayer-funded contraceptive supplies threatens to fracture supply chains and wrest agency, health, and ultimately, life from women and girls in low- and middle-income countries.

The U.S. Government announced plans this month to destroy more than $9.7 million worth of family planning supplies* intended for women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. These products, already paid for by American taxpayers, now face additional taxpayer-funded costs of at least $167K to be destroyed.

THE TRUE COST OF DESTROYING LIFE-SAVING PRODUCTS

Destroying $9.7M worth of contraceptives carries a human toll:

  • 362K unintended pregnancies
  • 161,000 unplanned births
  • 110,000 unsafe abortions
  • 718 preventable maternal deaths**

But the ripple effects within the supply chain are also devastating. When a woman’s first choice of contraceptive is missing, she may opt for a less-preferred product, which could lead to a stockout of that product if demand rises unexpectedly. When family planning stocks are compromised, the entire supply chain is at risk, requiring new funding, time, and coordination that cannot materialize at short notice. Saving $9.7M of contraceptives from being incinerated won’t solve the funding gap, but it can prevent further disaster.

“With the unique insights that our data offer, the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) and its partners have worked tirelessly to free up significant volumes of supplies and see them through to their end-users,” said RHSC Director Martyn Smith. “But I am deeply concerned about stocks held in two regional hubs, Belgium and Dubai, and I appeal to partners with the power to avert this meaningless waste. Act now.”

Why burning these products makes no sense

Officials have cited cost, logistics, and branding concerns to justify destroying the $9.7M in commodities. But these arguments don’t hold up because:

  • the commodities are still within shelf life.
  • Countries still want and need them.
  • RHSC has worked tirelessly to make connections between interested buyers and the authorities. Despite funding cuts, multiple NGOs have offered to pay for transport, re-labeling, and distribution to get these supplies to where they’re needed most.
  • These commodities can still save lives—right now.

If destruction proceeds, it won’t be due to logistical impossibility—it will be a deliberate choice to strip women and girls of contraceptive choice. It will not be just contraceptives that are incinerated. Women’s health and lives will go up in smoke as well.

More than supplies: devastation through the ecosystem

The U.S. has long been the largest bilateral donor to family planning, contributing $600M annually which was 40% of global donor funding. The cancellation of pending U.S. procurement commitments has increased a pre-existing global funding gap from $167M to $210M across 32 countries.***

U.S. funding has supported every level of the family planning supply chain: from procurement and logistics to provider training and demand generation. As a result of cuts, multiple countries face stockouts of contraceptives; entire supply chains are falling apart; costs, delays, and uncertainty are skyrocketing; and data systems and provider training are eroding. What’s at stake isn’t just product availability, it’s reproductive autonomy, public health, and economic stability.

RHSC calls on its members to:

  1. maintain pressure on the governments of the U.S., France, and Belgium to prevent destruction;
  2. encourage action to prevent any further destruction, for example of $1.5M of stocks being held in Dubai,
  3. and continue to fund commodities.

No single donor or agency can save supplies or fill the funding gap for contraceptives. If you are concerned and want to join a global movement to make a difference, contact RHSC at secretariat@rhsupplies.org.

* Kannampilly, A and Landay, J. ‘US-funded contraceptives for poor nations to be burned in France, sources say.’ Reuters. 24 July 2025. Accessed via https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-funded-contraceptives-poor-nations-be-burned-france-sources-say-2025-07-24/.
** Damavandi, S; Sully, EA; Friedrich-Karnik, A; Tignor, M. ‘Just the numbers: the impact of US international family planning assistance, 2024.’ Guttmacher. February 2025. Accessed via https://www.guttmacher.org/2025/02/just-numbers-impact-us-international-family-planning-assistance-2024.
*** ‘Setting a roadmap for quantifying the impact of U.S. government policy shifts on family planning.’ 12 March 2025. Updated June 2025. RHSC, Avenir Health, FP2030, Guttmacher, KFF, UNFPA. Accessed via https://www.rhsupplies.org/activities-resources/publications/the-future-of-family-planning-data/.

Category: RH Alerts

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