Protestors in Belgium Push EU to Oppose Lawful U.S. Aid Decision
A small group of activists gathered outside the U.S. embassy in Brussels on Thursday to protest the planned disposal of U.S.-owned contraceptives currently stored in Belgium — a move driven by longstanding U.S. foreign aid policies. The demonstrators, many representing NGOs reliant on foreign aid, are pressuring the European Union to interfere in an American policy decision, despite having no jurisdiction over it.
The protest centered around a U.S. government decision to incinerate contraceptives tied to a defunded aid program, in line with a reinstated policy that blocks funding to organisations involved in abortion-related services. The supplies, held in warehouses in Belgium, have become a political football for groups looking to score points in an ideological fight over U.S. policy.
Chanting slogans like “Shame, shame, shame. Trump is to blame,” protestors targeted U.S. leadership while making sweeping accusations and dramatic claims. Their calls for the EU to intervene have little legal standing, as confirmed by EU authorities.
“We call on the European Union to stand up for its values and commitments to women’s freedom everywhere,”
said Micah Grzywnowicz, a representative of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an organisation with a vested interest in the supplies.
“This is the moment for the European Commission to show leadership: Rally member states, mediate with the U.S., and explore all legal and diplomatic avenues to stop essential supplies from being wasted,” Grzywnowicz added.
While these organisations continue to demand action from the EU, the European Commission has made clear that the matter falls under national authority — in this case, Belgium. Belgian officials have said they are exploring diplomatic channels, but no legal steps have been taken to prevent the destruction.
Between 80 and 100 people took part in the protest — a modest turnout considering the scale of the accusations. Many carried inflammatory signs such as “you have blood on your hands” and “700 mothers dead,” despite no direct evidence that the destruction of unused medical supplies would lead to such outcomes.
“We are here to say no, we disagree with these political decisions that impact our bodies and our lives and our people in our partner organisations and countries,” Grzywnowicz told reporters.
“And we are not going anywhere, so we will keep on looking and watching and protesting against those moves.”
The protest was coordinated by several NGOs, including IPPF and Sensoa, both of which are lobbying for continued access to U.S.-funded contraceptives. Their aim is to pressure the EU into leveraging political capital to challenge U.S. sovereignty over its own foreign aid programs.
“The EU always portrays itself as a champion for sexual, reproductive health and rights. So we would like them to show that now on this topic as well,” said Heleen Heysse from Sensoa.
“On the other hand, we also want them to look at all avenues that they can find on EU policy to save the stocks.”
These demands ignore the legal reality: decisions about products stored within Belgium fall under the country’s jurisdiction. A Commission spokesperson reiterated this, stating the EU has no authority over whether the products are destroyed. Still, they added that
“should a solution be found to make these commodities available, the Commission stands ready to explore ways together with partners to ensure that the supplies reach the intended beneficiaries.”
Offers from organisations like the UN Population Fund and IPPF to take over the products — some of which were originally destined for distribution in Africa — have been rejected by U.S. officials. This is not unexpected, given the reinstated policy clearly prohibits supporting any group affiliated with abortion services, even indirectly.
“Looking at the actions of the Trump administration, it’s not about [a] technicality or not knowing what to do with the supplies,” said Grzywnowicz. “It is about [a] political agenda and wanting to control our bodies.”
Flemish legislation currently blocks the destruction of usable medical supplies unless a special exemption is granted. No such exemption has been requested. Meanwhile, Belgian authorities state they are working on finding a solution, though activists continue to make increasingly political and ideological arguments rather than legal or diplomatic ones.
“Together with his federal colleague, Minister Jo Brouns is doing everything possible to find a diplomatic solution for these goods,” a spokesperson said.
Heysse added, “Belgium on its own is less powerful than if the whole EU throws their weight behind us.”
This latest protest is just one chapter in an ongoing campaign to pressure the U.S. government to reverse its stance on aid to abortion-related organisations. A letter signed by over 70 international groups recently urged U.S. officials to stop the planned incineration — a move that critics say prioritises ideology over public health. Yet U.S. officials have remained consistent: the products were acquired under the previous administration and may include items “potentially … abortifacients,” which would violate current policy.
Activists continue to push claims that the destruction could lead to “360,000 unintended pregnancies, 161,000 unplanned births, 110,000 unsafe abortions and 718 preventable maternal deaths.” However, these figures, often repeated, are based on speculative projections, not concrete evidence.
While the protestors cast their actions as a defence of women’s rights, the event largely functioned as a public condemnation of a democratic nation’s foreign policy decisions. The EU, for its part, has reiterated that it is not in a position to override the legal frameworks governing the storage and disposal of U.S. property in Belgian territory.
