Beth Schlachter, MSI Reproductive Choices’ senior director of external relations and advocacy, said:
“It is indefensible that at a time of acute global need, millions of dollars’ worth of lifesaving family planning supplies has been left to rot for nearly a whole year, while U.S. taxpayers face an ever-mounting storage bill.
“These are critical contraceptive supplies that could have empowered women to avoid unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and preventable maternal deaths but instead have been left to gather dust thousands of miles from the women who desperately need them.
“Since we learnt of the plan to incinerate the contraception, MSI Reproductive Choices has repeatedly offered to package and distribute them at our own expense to ensure they can reach the people who need them, but our efforts have been rejected out of hand. While most of the contraception is now unusable, about $1.7 million’ worth of commodities are still in date, with some expiry dates extending until 2031, and we continue to work with governments, donors and partners to fill the gap left by the Trump administration and move supplies to the places they are needed most.
“At a time when every dollar invested in global health matters, and our teams across Africa are facing growing contraceptive shortages and stockouts, waste on this scale is simply unconscionable.”
Notes to Editors
For interviews and further information please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)7769 166 516
