Iran bans voluntary sterilizations to increase birth rate

Iran’s parliament has approved new restrictions and prohibited contraception interventions such as vasectomies and tubal ligation to raise the fertility rate, currently at 1.6 children per woman.

In May, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a decree asking for more babies for “strengthening national identity” and to address ” the undesirable aspects of the Western lifestyle.” Parliament has endorsed this message with a new law with the support of 143 of the 231 deputies, according to IRNA.

A recent survey by the research department of the Parliament has shown that despite the bans illegal sex are common currency in the country. The unusual report, quoted by The Economist and ignored by the local press, concluded that 80% of single women have sex and 17% of the 142,000 students surveyed have declared homosexuals.

The law limits surgical interventions such as vasectomies and tubal ligation and prohibits advertising on methods of birth control in a country where condoms are fully accessible and is normalized family planning. The agency IRNA reported that doctors who violate these measures may be punished, although it did not specify the possible penalties.

The draft now goes to the Guardian Council, a group of theologians and jurists appointed by Khamenei and the corresponding analyzing whether the law complies with Islam.

The Iranian reformists see this law an attempt to return women to their traditional roles. Among health workers has also grown the fear of a possible increase in illegal abortions, that between March 2012 and March 2013 was 12,000, more than half of all pregnancy terminations. The abortion is only legal in Iran if the mother’s life is in danger or the fetus has certain abnormalities.

During the war with Iraq in the eighties, Iran encouraged the birth, but later reversed these policies by the fear that a dramatic increase in population and economic takeoff entorpeciese confine the distribution of resources.

With the current fertility rate of 1.6 children per woman, Iran would have 75 million to 31 million in 2094. According to lawyer Mohamed Saleh Jokar for that year 47% of Iranians have over 60 years.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on Aug 13 2014. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.