Image: Women, Life, Freedom
Iran has established anti-abortion centres in 250 cities, claiming they have prevented 4,700 abortions, according to a Health Ministry official.
In an interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) on Saturday, Saber Jabbari-Farouji, head of Iran’s Health Ministry’s Population Youth Department, disclosed that the centres are part of the “Nafas” intervention group. The group operates in locations frequently visited by pregnant women contemplating abortion and collaborates with pregnancy diagnosis labs, gynaecologists’ offices, midwives, general practitioners, and the national health network, including hospitals, to deter a woman considering abortion.
Supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s Basij organization (a paramilitary volunteer militia established in Iran in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini), it is believed that around 60% of women were reportedly reconsidering after the interventions. “In some instances, the mother (sic) may not disclose her intention to abort. Instead, the child’s father, relatives, or even neighbours might inform us,” Jabbari-Farouji said. “These groups then establish an emotional connection with the mother, investigating the issues she faces. Based on these identified problems, they advise her against terminating the pregnancy.”
Observers have likened the Nafas group centres, dubbed “anti-abortion patrols,” to Iran’s hijab enforcement units. In March 2021, the Iranian parliament passed a law banning public health services from offering family planning, including contraceptives, vasectomies, and tubectomies, except when a woman’s health is at risk.
In May, 16 human rights organizations condemned Iran’s restrictive sexual and reproductive policies, calling for the repeal of discriminatory laws. In a joint statement, they said that in the past decade, Iran has intensified efforts to limit women’s fundamental rights, particularly in reproductive autonomy, saying the trend “reflects a broader pattern of increasing restrictions on women’s rights”. Just recently, the UN branded Iran’s policy towards women and girls “gender apartheid”.
“Under the guise of addressing declining population growth, the government has introduced discriminatory legislation that severely limits access to essential sexual and reproductive healthcare and family planning services. These measures criminalize healthcare providers and strip women of bodily autonomy, perpetuating systemic discrimination,” the joint statement read.
Abortion in Iran is largely prohibited, with only a few exceptions. Following the Family Protection and Youth Population Law enacted in 2020, abortions require official permits. According to Article 56 of the Family Protection and Youth Population Law, unauthorized abortions are punishable by fines, imprisonment, and revocation of medical licenses with the coroner’s office responsible for filing cases for those seeking abortions. However, underground abortions are common in Iran as women lack free access to contraception and means of escaping unwanted pregnancy.
In 2022, Saleh Ghasemi, head of the Center for Strategic Research on Population, said that “only three percent of abortions [in Iran] are legal, and two percent of abortions are spontaneous”. He also said that only four percent of abortions happen due to what he called “illegitimate relations”.
The ban on abortion in Iran has made women go to illegal and often unsafe centres to terminate their pregnancies, causing the deaths of many women and sometimes causing lifetime complications.
Jabbari-Farouji further stated that the main reasons for seeking abortions include unwillingness to have more children, economic hardships, and untimely pregnancies. He noted that 30 percent of abortion permit applicants cited economic hardships as their reason.
Iran has been grappling with inflation exceeding 40% annually over the past five years, alongside low wages and a devaluing national currency.
Despite these economic challenges, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei prioritizes increasing the population, viewing it as essential for the Islamic Republic’s position as a leading Shia country in the Muslim world. Khamenei’s emphasis has led to increased coercive measures against contraception as well as abortion.
SOURCE: Iran International, 27 July 2024 ; VISUAL: Women, Life, Freedom poster in Persian, on Wikipedia
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Iranian officials deny controversial law caused increase in birth defects
The law in question restricts prenatal screening and limits access to diagnostic test kits for congenital anomalies, and it is reported that this has led to an increase in birth defects. The law, enacted three years ago, has been criticized by experts and human rights groups for violating women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health and endangering women’s health and lives.
In an interview with the Tehran daily, Etemad, Amir Hossein Bankipour, a former MP and head of the joint commission responsible for passing the law, denied any increase in birth defects over the past 33 months. He stated, “The numbers remained the same despite the controversy stirred on social media.” He said that since the law’s enactment, “The Ministry of Health has yet to provide any statistics on birth defects, merely asserting that despite a reduction of 200,000 pregnancy screenings during the law’s enforcement, no increase in fetal abnormalities has been observed.”
Typically conducted during the first trimester, these tests are used to identify and assess the risk of various congenital conditions, such as Down’s Syndrome and chromosomal anomalies like trisomy.
Under the Supporting Family and Regenerating Population Act, screening procedures may only be initiated at the request of the parents or a specialist doctor and only if substantial evidence necessitating the screening is provided. In such cases, families must independently cover the associated costs. Nevertheless, a ban announced last year has rendered it impossible to access screening kits for congenital anomalies in Iran.
The Health Ministry’s Food and Drug Administration announced it will no longer issue permits for medical kits that serve as diagnostic tools used primarily in prenatal screening and general disease detection. Although recent statistics are unavailable, officials in 2015 reported that the annual rate of children born with birth defects ranged between 50,000 and 70,000. Etemad’s article also suggests a figure of approximately 60,000.
In 2005, based on a fatwa by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several other religious authorities, the “Therapeutic Abortion” act was passed by parliament and approved by the Guardian Council. The law prevented the birth of children in Iran who either endangered the mother’s life, had a short and burdensome life expectancy, or possessed chromosomal abnormalities.
Then, 15 years later, Khamenei publicly changed his stance, commenting on the necessity of increasing the population, stating that limiting the population was a “mistake” and asking God for forgiveness. Following his remarks, members of parliament introduced the controversial law, which also mandates that government and state entities actively promote marriage and childbearing, imposes penalties for non-compliance, and prohibits any activities endorsing birth control. Additionally, it bans government health services from offering family planning services, including contraceptives, vasectomies, and tubectomies.
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Birth rate continues to decline in Iran, despite state’s efforts
In a commentary published last year in Etemad, Abbas Abdi noted that the current administration and parliament have invested at least 250 trillion rials ($500 million) annually to increase the birth rate.
Analysts have argued that Khamenei’s desire to boost the country’s population is underpinned by a strategic aim to bolster Iran’s geopolitical influence and sustain the regime’s power through demographic manipulation.
Despite these extensive efforts to promote an increase in fertility rates, Iran’s Civil Registration Organization has reported a decline in birth rates for the year 2023. According to official statistics, births fell from 1,075,381 in 2022 to 1,057,948 in 2023.
Critics of the population increase policy argue that the Islamic Republic has failed to enhance living standards, with official statistics showing that over a third of the population lives below the absolute poverty line, and many more endure increasing hardship despite holding multiple jobs.
Nonetheless, Khamenei advocates for Iran’s population to reach at least 150 million by 2050, emphasizing this as a purportedly necessary measure to prevent an ageing demographic.
SOURCE: Iran International, 30 July 2024