The Trump administration has destroyed nearly $10 million of birth control pills and other contraceptives that were to be sent to low-income countries, according to a new report.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that the U.S. Agency for International Development had purchased the pills, intrauterine devices, and hormonal implants earlier this year before the agency was largely shut down. The report says the total value of the equipment is roughly $9.7 million.
Officials for USAID, which is currently being wound down by Trump loyalist Russell Vought, told the Times that the contraceptives "induced abortion."
“President Trump is committed to protecting the lives of unborn children all around the world,” the agency said in a statement to NYT. “The administration will no longer supply abortifacient birth control under the guise of foreign aid.”
The newspaper said USAID's statement about the contraceptives is "false."
"USAID is prohibited by law from procuring abortifacients," the NYT report states. "None of the products held in the warehouse in Belgium were abortifacients, according to inventory lists obtained by The Times. The listed products, such as hormonal implants, stop pregnancy by preventing ovulation or fertilization."
