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Iran: Difference between revisions
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===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ||
In Iran, abortion is only legal during the first four months of pregnancy, and only when the pregnancy | In Iran, abortion is only legal during the first four months of pregnancy, and only when the pregnancy endangers the woman's life<ref>[https://www.womenonwaves.org/en/page/4834/abortion-law-iran Abortion Law in Iran]</ref> or when there is risk of a fetal impairment that is recognized by the Legal Medical Organization.<ref>[http://asap-asia.org/country-profile-iran/ Asia Safe Abortion Partnership - Country Profile: Iran]</ref> <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> Three medical specialists must confirm that the pregnant woman's life is endangered or that there's risk of fetal impairment before an abortion can be legally performed.<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> | 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. | Despite strict abortion laws, abortion is apparently rather common in Iran, especially in larger cities like Tehran. In fact, the Iranian government has even begun to acknowledge the abortion rate. In 2014, Dr. Mohammad Esmaeel Motlagh, the director of the Health and Population Bureau of Iran’s Ministry of Health, 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 was complemented by a 2011 report from the Guttmacher Institute, which estimated that 11,500 were performed on married women in Tehran alone 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> In the report, it was found that two thirds of such 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 was a very different profile than in Central Asia or Eastern Europe, where young girls were 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> | |||
More Information: | |||
* [https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/ipsrh/2011/09/induced-abortion-tehran-iran-estimated-rates-and-correlates Guttmacher Institute Report: Induced Abortion in Tehran, Iran: Estimated Rates and Correlates] | |||
* [https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1002&context=pscpapers Abortion in Iran: What Do We Know?, Amir Erfani - University of Western Ontario] | |||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||
* Since abortion is generally illegal in Iran, we cannot recommend any general providers in Iran. | * Since abortion is generally illegal in Iran, we cannot recommend any general providers in Iran. However, according to a 2014 Al-Monitor report, "Shahid Kamali Hospital is also one of the hospitals with the most traffic for abortions."<ref>[https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/02/iran-abortion-rising.html#ixzz2t6lmYQeK Abortion on the rise in Iran]</ref> | ||
* There is a black market of abortion providers in Iran. In certain place, people may sell pills, such as Misoprostol, to induce abortion. Click [http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/increasing-number-of-illegal-abortions-in-iran/ here] for more information. There are also certain midwives or clinics who perform clandestine abortion services. However, these methods can be extremely risky since they are on the black market and unregulated.<ref>[https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/02/iran-abortion-rising.html#ixzz2t6lmYQeK | |||
Abortion on the rise in Iran]</ref> | |||
* If you are considering leaving the country for an abortion, you can get a legal abortion in [[India]], [[Turkey]], [[Greece]], [[Georgia]] or [[Azerbaijan]]. If you are interested in traveling to Europe, there are also many countries where abortion is legal. | * If you are considering leaving the country for an abortion, you can get a legal abortion in [[India]], [[Turkey]], [[Greece]], [[Georgia]] or [[Azerbaijan]]. If you are interested in traveling to Europe, there are also many countries where abortion is legal. | ||
===Costs=== | ===Costs=== | ||
If you are pregnant and considering getting an abortion outside Iran, you will need to consider the following costs: visa processing and procedures, transportation to the country where you will be obtaining an abortion, hotel or accommodation costs in that country, cost of the abortion in the country and the total amount of days you may need to be in the country both before and after the abortion. | * Sources state that clandestine abortions in Iran are more expensive for unmarried women.<ref>[https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/02/iran-abortion-rising.html#ixzz2t6lmYQeK | ||
Abortion on the rise in Iran]</ref> | |||
* If you are pregnant and considering getting an abortion outside Iran, you will need to consider the following costs: visa processing and procedures, transportation to the country where you will be obtaining an abortion, hotel or accommodation costs in that country, cost of the abortion in the country and the total amount of days you may need to be in the country both before and after the abortion. | |||
==Advocacy & Counseling== | ==Advocacy & Counseling== | ||