USA FOR UNFPA Statement on the Planned Destruction of Contraceptives

At USA for UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, we believe in a world where no woman dies while giving life. Where every woman and girl can live free from violence, speak without fear, pursue her goals, and decide whether and when to have children. 

Access to modern contraception is central to this vision. It saves lives. It strengthens communities. And it empowers women and girls to take charge of their futures. 

For decades, the United States has played a crucial role in advancing reproductive health globally. Through USAID, the U.S. government provided contraceptives like IUDs, implants, and pills to millions of women, improving health outcomes and contributing to global security. Every $1 spent on family planning yields $8 in economic returns. It was a smart, strategic investment. 

That work came to a halt earlier this year when the Trump Administration froze foreign aid and dismantled USAID’s reproductive health programming. As a result, a stockpile of $9.7 million in contraceptive supplies now sits unused in a warehouse overseas. 

Despite offers from UNFPA and other global partners to purchase and distribute these products immediately, the U.S. government has decided to simply incinerate them — at additional taxpayer cost and great environmental risk. 

The government incorrectly cited a law called the Kemp-Kasten Amendment as a reason it can’t work with UNFPA. However, nothing in current U.S. law prevents the U.S. from selling these commodities to UNFPA — an offer which still stands today.

This is not only a lost opportunity. It is a deliberate and unnecessary waste of resources. 

There is a staggering global shortage of contraceptives. More than 250 million women who want to use modern contraception are unable to do so, forcing them to face the dangers of unintended pregnancy and childbirth, which together contribute to the 260,000 maternal deaths recorded each year.

These contraceptives could prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce unsafe abortions, and lower maternal deaths. They could offer dignity and choice to women in humanitarian crises. And yet, they are being destroyed, wasting public funds, and costing human lives. If carried out, this tragic decision would be a key example of the waste, fraud, and abuse that we all seek to eliminate. 

At USA for UNFPA, we stand for solutions. We support any plan that puts these essential supplies into the hands of the women and girls who need them. We call on the U.S. government to reverse course and urgently redirect these stockpiled contraceptives to where they are needed most — reaching  women and girls whose health and dignity depend on them.