Ham-Mihan Newspaper Criticizes Increase in Disabled Individuals in the Country; Abortions Reach 500,000 Annually

The Secretary of the National Headquarters for the 'Nafas Plan' has announced that the annual number of abortions in the country is between 300,000 to 500,000, with about one percent of these abortions being legal. Mohsen Zakarian emphasized that according to research by the Supreme Cultural Council in the late 1990s, seven percent of 'criminal abortions' are related to 'illegitimate pregnancies.' The Ham-Mihan newspaper attributed the failure of the childbearing bill to the criminalization approach towards various issues, including abortion. The editorial stated that abortion has been prohibited due to a decrease in childbirth rates, while logically, abortion is prohibited for another reason, as some consider it murder, asserting that 'even if the population growth is high, it should still be banned.' The author stressed that if the approach to abortion had been to prevent murder, the results would likely have been different in terms of details, execution, and public acceptance. Ham-Mihan noted that the ban on screening or the denial of abortion after four months and other issues indicate a lack of consideration for 'the mother's or child's future and many other matters.' The writer pointed out that this approach has led the head of the Welfare Organization to evade announcing the number of disabled newborns, labeling the statistics as 'confidential.' The article highlighted the odd stance of the 'President,' who stated that 'to prevent disability, abortion should not be prescribed, as it is murder.' Pegah Bani Hashemi, a senior legal researcher at the University of Chicago, told VOA that 'abortion laws in Iran only serve to cover up the issue rather than solve it.' In another report titled 'The Next Step: Mandatory Childbearing?' Ham-Mihan wrote that the Deputy for Clinical Examinations of the Forensic Medicine Organization stated that the condition for entering the abortion commission is a definitive diagnosis of illness or abnormality by a qualified physician. Experts emphasized that the main problem with the fertility rate in the country is not abortion, but the unfavorable conditions in the country. The report stressed that the 'Population Youth' law and the perspective of its drafters not only do not align with societal realities but also focus only on aspects of this not-so-complete law that involve negative and police-like measures. Furthermore, this law seeks not to find fundamental solutions for increasing the population growth rate and reducing pregnancy demand but rather to address the issue superficially and eliminate people's solutions for preventing pregnancy or discontinuing pregnancy. In this context, Nahid Khodakarami, a midwifery specialist and former member of the Tehran City Council, emphasized that abortion is 'a very heinous act that has never been free,' stating to Ham-Mihan that 'what is happening today based on the implementation of the Population Youth law regarding abortion seems somewhat unusual.' She noted that a 'police-like' perspective has dominated this issue, with 'illness impersonators' sent by the oversight of medical treatment universities or prosecutors to clinics, attempting to persuade and coerce midwives or doctors to agree to an abortion. If the specialist guides the 'illness impersonator' or prescribes medication for them, they are arrested. Simin Kazemi, a sociologist and physician, also told Ham-Mihan that 'excessive prohibition and strictness regarding abortion cannot increase the population.' VOA recently aired a special program addressing the issue of abortion in Iran. This program can be watched here. Sharareh Mahboudi: Criminalizing abortion in Iran leads to underground abortion disasters. Pegah Bani Hashemi: Iran faces a terrifyingly high and uncontrolled abortion rate. Laleh Mehrad: Unsafe abortion endangers women's mental and physical health. Reza Saidi: Criminalizing abortion endangers women's health. Increasing concerns about abortion in Iran. One day after the announcement of the formation of the 'Abortion Patrol'; a midwifery clinic was closed. Intensification of the criminalization of intentional abortion in Iran; the Ministry of Health threatened doctors. The judiciary is laying the groundwork for dealing with 'abortion'; imprisonment for doctors, compensation for mothers. Consequences of implementing the 'Population Youth' law; over 100 cases of 'illegal abortion' sent to judicial authorities.