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Tehran: Difference between revisions

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In all other cases, abortion is illegal. This means that abortion is not available upon request, and it's not available when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or when the woman has serious physical, mental or social reasons for seeking out an abortion. If someone pursues an abortion for any of these reasons, they may be made punished. According to Penal Code of 1991, which is based on Islamic law, an illegal abortion is considered a crime of bodily harm (also known as "oisas"). This is punishable and the involved parties must pay blood money or compensation (also known as "diyah") to the victim's relatives.<ref>[http://asap-asia.org/country-profile-iran/ Asia Safe Abortion Partnership - Country Profile: Iran]</ref>  
In all other cases, abortion is illegal. This means that abortion is not available upon request, and it's not available when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or when the woman has serious physical, mental or social reasons for seeking out an abortion. If someone pursues an abortion for any of these reasons, they may be made punished. According to Penal Code of 1991, which is based on Islamic law, an illegal abortion is considered a crime of bodily harm (also known as "oisas"). This is punishable and the involved parties must pay blood money or compensation (also known as "diyah") to the victim's relatives.<ref>[http://asap-asia.org/country-profile-iran/ Asia Safe Abortion Partnership - Country Profile: Iran]</ref>  


Despite strict abortion laws, abortion is apparently rather common in Iran, especially in larger cities like Tehran. According to a 2011 report, it was estimated that 11,500 were performed on married women in Tehran each year, and that "one of every six women of reproductive age will have an abortion in their lifetime if current age-specific abortion rates remain unchanged."<ref>[https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/ipsrh/2011/09/induced-abortion-tehran-iran-estimated-rates-and-correlates Induced Abortion in Tehran, Iran: Estimated Rates and Correlates]</ref> Two thirds of these abortions were performed on women who had used some form of contraception, such as condoms, pills or the withdrawal method. Furthermore, women were most likely to request abortions when they were in their early 30s, educated, less religious, already had children and when they felt that they did not want more children. This is a very different profile than in Central Asia or Eastern Europe, where young girls are the most likely to request abortions. According to a PBS news article, "What these findings show is that abortion in Tehran is not the picture of desperate unwed schoolgirls that fulfills international stereotypes of who has abortions. It is an issue faced by adult married women motivated by the desire to plan their families, space their births and take care of the children they already have."<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/11/study-iranians-have-abortions-too.html Study | Iranians Have Abortions, Too]</ref>
Despite strict abortion laws, abortion is apparently rather common in Iran, especially in larger cities like Tehran. In fact, Dr. Mohammad Esmaeel Motlagh, the director of the Health and Population Bureau of Iran’s Ministry of Health in 2014, presented statistics that showed about 250,000 abortions were performed in Iran each year.<ref>[https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/02/iran-abortion-rising.html#ixzz2t6lmYQeK
Abortion on the rise in Iran]</ref> This is complemented by a 2011 report from the Guttmacher Institute, which estimated that 11,500 were performed on married women in Tehran each year and that "one of every six women of reproductive age will have an abortion in their lifetime if current age-specific abortion rates remain unchanged."<ref>[https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/ipsrh/2011/09/induced-abortion-tehran-iran-estimated-rates-and-correlates Induced Abortion in Tehran, Iran: Estimated Rates and Correlates]</ref> Meanwhile, in 2014, the Iranian government estimated that 250,000 abortions were conducted in Iran each year. According to the 2011 , it's been found that two thirds of these abortions are performed on women who have used some form of contraception, such as condoms, pills or the withdrawal method. Furthermore, women are most likely to request abortions when they are in their early 30s, educated, less religious, already had children and when they feel that they did not want more children. This is a very different profile than in Central Asia or Eastern Europe, where young girls are the most likely to request abortions. According to a PBS news article, "What these findings show is that abortion in Tehran is not the picture of desperate unwed schoolgirls that fulfills international stereotypes of who has abortions. It is an issue faced by adult married women motivated by the desire to plan their families, space their births and take care of the children they already have."<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/11/study-iranians-have-abortions-too.html Study | Iranians Have Abortions, Too]</ref>


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