International Outcry Over US Contraceptive Stockpile at Risk
The Trump administration faces backlash over plans to potentially destroy contraceptive supplies stored in Belgium. US and European advocates argue that the stockpile, vital for war-affected women's reproductive health, should be preserved. Talks between US and Belgium aim to prevent incineration, amid offers to redistribute these critical resources.
- Country:
- Belgium
President Donald Trump's administration is under fire as it deliberates what to do with a stockpile of family planning supplies in Europe, with advocates and US senators protesting the potential destruction of these critical resources. The supplies, comprising IUDs, contraceptive pills, and implants, were intended to aid women in conflict zones and other vulnerable areas.
US State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott informed that a decision is pending, while Belgium engages in discussions with US diplomats to save the stockpile from being destroyed, possibly by relocating it. The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development has left the supplies in limbo, and there's speculation that some items might be abortion-inducing drugs.
Funded by US taxpayers at over $9 million, the supplies face potential incineration in France, sparking further protest. European campaigners and US aid groups propose redistributing the stockpile instead, while figures like Charles Dallara urge President Macron to avoid complicity in this looming crisis affecting women's health worldwide.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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