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Tehran: Difference between revisions
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'''OVERVIEW''' | '''OVERVIEW''' | ||
Overall, Iran is an incredibly complex country when it comes to issues related to sexual and reproductive health care. On the one hand, Iran is a conservative | Overall, Iran is an incredibly complex, and often paradoxical, country when it comes to issues related to sexual and reproductive health care. On the one hand, Iran is a conservative nation and an Islamic republic, which has often preached a pro-natalist policy. Politicians and clerics routinely promote larger families and decry immorality. Locals report that they often feel uncomfortable asking pharmacists for birth control or emergency contraception, and the subject of STI tests remains generally taboo. Meanwhile, abortion is only legal during the first four months of pregnancy, and only when the pregnancy either 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 severe risk of fetal impairment.<ref>[http://asap-asia.org/country-profile-iran/ Asia Safe Abortion Partnership - Country Profile: Iran]</ref> There are minimal legal protections related to sexual harassment or gender discrimination, and homosexuality is illegal.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/ng-interactive/2014/feb/04/womens-rights-country-by-country-interactive Women's Rights - Country by Country]</ref> | ||
Yet, on the other hand, Iran is a country with a long history and dynamic society. Before the Islamic Revolution, family planning was declared a human right under the Tehran Declaration of 1967. Despite challenges to family planning after the revolution, you actually can purchase birth control, such as pills and condoms, at pharmacies and supermarkets without a prescription. You can also purchase emergency contraception (the morning after pill) at pharmacies without a prescription. You can access HIV tests at most laboratories that do blood work or through gynecologists found at hospitals or clinics. Meanwhile, there is a rather large underground network of abortion providers and even a top Iranian health minister acknowledged the high rates in 2014. It is common for Iranian newlyweds to want small families or no children at all, and the country has a high rate of educated, urbanized women who proactively make decisions about their bodies. | |||
With all of this being said, it's very difficult to draw blanket statements or broad generalizations about Iran. It is a country known for both strong conservatism and deep-set liberalism, and like many countries, the subject of family planning is a contentious issue that's not without controversy. | |||
==Contraception (Birth Control)== | ==Contraception (Birth Control)== | ||