Amnesty International: New Plans in Iran Turn Women into 'Child-Making Machines'

On March 10, Amnesty International stated that new proposed laws in the Iranian parliament regarding women, which are set to be voted on soon, would roll back their rights by decades and turn women into 'child-making machines.' The human rights organization criticized plans to criminalize voluntary contraception and increase pressures to prevent the hiring of childless women. The criticisms refer to a proposal titled 'Comprehensive Population and Family Excellence Plan' that was introduced in June 2013. The Iranian parliament is expected to vote on this plan soon. Among other provisions, the plan requests that public and private sectors prioritize hiring 'first men with children, then married men without children, and then women with children,' and states that 'hiring or employing single individuals' may be allowed if there are no 'qualified married applicants.' These new laws and bills come after Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, called for an increase in Iran's population. According to Habibeh Haj Sahraei, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, Iranian officials are promoting a 'dangerous culture' with the approval of these laws, where women's key rights are stripped away, and instead of being individuals with fundamental rights to choose about their bodies and lives, they are turned into machines for producing children. This plan has faced protests. Previously, on the eve of International Women's Day on March 8, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran also stated that the parliament's proposals, government policies, and 'public statements' by government officials and senior clerics affiliated with the Islamic Republic have created an environment conducive to violence against women. This campaign also criticized laws that lead to the restriction of women's rights in education, employment, reproductive health, and their participation in public life.