After the closure of the U.S. development agency USAID, millions of contraceptives and life-saving medicines are now stored in a warehouse in Geel. These are set to be destroyed because USAID can no longer distribute the purchased supplies and refuses to pay for their storage. This is an absurd example of what happens when governments make capricious and impulsive decisions — such as cutting off development cooperation from one day to the next. It is also the first time we have felt the effects of such decisions so clearly in Belgium.
"This is wasteful.
Heleen Heysse conseiller politique de Sensoa International.
Without contraceptives, many women in the Global South will face the risk of premature or unwanted pregnancies, including dangerous ones. The Republicans in the U.S., and President Trump in particular, cling to the idea of the traditional nuclear family. They oppose family planning, the right to safe abortion, and LGBTQ rights. We see this not only in the U.S., but worldwide."
To prevent this waste and save lives, the organization We Move Europe has launched a petition. French and Belgian negotiators are in talks with the U.S., and Members of the European Parliament are pressing the EU to intervene. Even the U.S. now seems to be backtracking: the burning of the supplies was supposed to happen by the end of July, but has not yet begun.
This is about more than just the destruction of life-saving supplies. Will Europe make itself complicit in Trump’s war on women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights, or will it stand up as their defender? The choice Europe makes will have profound consequences that we will feel for a long time, across the globe.