Along with more than 75 other organizations, the Population Institute signed the following letter to Secretary Rubio opposing the Trump administration’s planned destruction of nearly $10 million in contraception.
September 12, 2025
The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street Northwest
Washington, D.C. 20541
Dear Secretary Rubio,
The undersigned organizations write to strongly oppose the administration’s cruel and wasteful decision to incinerate nearly $10 million dollars’ worth of contraception. These supplies are safe, effective, and wanted. To destroy them would follow a destructive pattern of wasting millions in taxpayer dollars while denying people lifesaving commodities, such as the 500 tons of food that the administration let spoil earlier this year and then paid to incinerate rather than provide to hungry people. Now, the administration is at a similar crossroads with birth control already purchased by American taxpayers. These health care supplies could provide women the ability to make decisions about their own bodies, lives, and futures, but instead the administration wants to spend at least $167,000 to destroy them.
These lifesaving supplies were intended for distribution to women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa, including those fleeing conflict or unable to afford care. Right now, women and girls around the world are desperately seeking out contraception and facing empty shelves. Meanwhile, this administration is choosing to spend taxpayer dollars to destroy effective health and medical supplies that are wanted and needed and that could save and transform lives. Many of these supplies do not expire until 2031, with the earliest expiration date in 2027, and the United States government has rejected numerous offers to buy or ship the supplies all while spreading deliberate misinformation about contraception.
Family planning is lifesaving, time-sensitive, essential health care which enables all people to flourish. Expanding access to contraception improves women’s health, reduces maternal and child mortality, prevents HIV, and enables women and girls to pursue educational and economic opportunities. An estimated 214 million women in low- and middle-income countries who want to avoid pregnancy currently have an unmet need for modern contraception. The harm of the administration destroying $9.7 million worth of contraceptives is significant and devastating and will cause 362,000 more unintended pregnancies, 110,000 more unsafe abortions, and 718 more preventable maternal deaths.
Despite the administration’s claims, these birth control pills, IUDs, implants, and injectables have not been destroyed. It is not too late to do the right thing. The administration must immediately halt plans to destroy these contraceptive supplies. We urge you to do everything you can to ensure lifesaving commodities, including contraception, reach people in need.
Sincerely,
Abortion Access Front
All* Above All
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Jewish World Service
American Public Health Association
Americans for Contraception
Amnesty International USA
Arizonans For Reproductive Freedom
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
AVAC
Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice
California Latinas for Reproductive Justice
California National Organization for Women (CA NOW)
Center for Biological Diversity
Center of Reproductive Rights
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Columbia NOW, National Organization for Women, SC
Condon Edwards Family Law
Council for Global Equality
CPIC NOW
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-USA)
EngenderHealth
Equality California
Feminist Majority
FFRF Action Fund
Fos Feminista
Gender Justice
Global Health Council
Group Care Global
Guttmacher Institute
Ibis Reproductive Health
Indivisible Northern Nevada
International Center for Research on Women
International Planned Parenthood Federation
Interruptrr
Ipas
Kent Street Coalition
League of Women Voters of St. Lawrence County, NY
Medical Students for Choice
MomsRising
MSI Reproductive Choices
National Abortion Federation
National Association of Hispanic Nurses
National Council of Jewish Women
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women Foundation
National Women’s Law Center
National Women’s Political Caucus
Oregonizers
PAI
Palmetto State Abortion Fund
Partners in Abortion Care
People Power United
PFLAG National
Physicians for Reproductive Health
Plan C
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Population Connection Action Fund
Population Council
Population Institute
Positive Women’s Network-USA
Progress Florida
ProgressNow New Mexico
Reproaction
Reproductive Freedom for All
Reproductive Health Access Project
Reproductive Health Network Kenya
SHERo Mississippi
SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
Silver State Equality
T-Time Support
Universal Access Project
UnmutedCo.
Voices of Health Care Action
Women’s Refugee Commission
Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network