URGENT: US to Incinerate $9.7M in Birth Control, Fate Hangs in Balance

BREAKING NEWS US to Incinerate $9.7M in Birth Control, Fate Hangs in Balance The US State Department has confirmed that it will spend $167,000 to incinerate 9.7 million worth of birth control pills at the end of September. The contraceptives, valued at nearly $10 million, have been sitting in a Belgian warehouse since they were frozen by the Trump administration's foreign aid freeze. The decision to destroy the contraceptives has sparked outrage from humanitarian organizations worldwide. "Nobody benefits by this product being burned," said Sarah Shaw, associate director of advocacy at MSI. "It's an environmental disaster, it's a human rights disaster, it's just a catastrophe on every single level." The birth control pills were meant for women in low-income countries but have been stuck in the warehouse since July. Humanitarian organizations offered to buy and distribute the contraceptives themselves, but their efforts were rejected by the US State Department. The incineration is set to take place at the end of September, with no clear plan in place for alternative distribution or storage of the contraceptives. The decision has left many wondering why the US would choose to destroy millions of dollars' worth of aid rather than finding a way to get it to those who need it. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. *This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. Based on reporting from Npr.*