French petition opposes destruction of millions of USAID contraceptives in Geel warehouse
A petition has been launched in France against the destruction of millions of condoms and other contraceptives stored in a warehouse in Geel, Belgium. The contraceptives were purchased by USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, but the Trump administration now intends to destroy the stockpile in France.
The petition was launched on Wednesday by Avortement en Europe, les Femmes décident (Abortion in Europe, Women Decide), a collective of women’s rights organisations and trade unions.
The group argues that the French government should oppose the plan to transfer the contraceptives to France for destruction. As of Wednesday evening, the petition on the online platform Change.org had just over 2,000 verified signatures.
The contraceptives were bought under the previous US administration’s policy to support reproductive health in developing countries. However, due to current president Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle the agency, the stockpile never reached its intended destinations.
The shipment includes 26 million condoms, millions of packets of oral contraceptives and hundreds of thousands of contraceptive implants. Most of the items were stored in Geel, with the remainder housed in a warehouse in the United Arab Emirates.
The US government ordered their destruction several weeks ago. According to The Guardian, the condoms were scheduled to be incinerated in France before 1 August.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
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