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Generally speaking, birth control pills and withdrawal are the most common contraceptive methods in Iran. According to a 2015 report, 76.6% of Iranian women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) use some form of contraception. The most common forms of contraception are withdrawal/"the pull out method" (16.9%), birth control pills (15.6%), female sterilization (14.8%), male condoms (13.7%) and IUDs (8.4%). Overall, it is estimated that 6.5% of Iranian women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) have unmet family planning needs. This rate is lower than in many Western European countries, meaning that, despite their conservative government, many Iranian women are still accessing contraception.<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015]</ref>
Generally speaking, birth control pills and withdrawal are the most common contraceptive methods in Iran. According to a 2015 report, 76.6% of Iranian women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) use some form of contraception. The most common forms of contraception are withdrawal/"the pull out method" (16.9%), birth control pills (15.6%), female sterilization (14.8%), male condoms (13.7%) and IUDs (8.4%). Overall, it is estimated that 6.5% of Iranian women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) have unmet family planning needs. This rate is lower than in many Western European countries, meaning that, despite their conservative government, many Iranian women are still accessing contraception.<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015]</ref>


From a historical perspective, Iran has frequently changed its family planning policies. In the 1960s, Iran recognized that it was experiencing rapid population growth, and national family planning policies were introduced. Yet, following the Iranian Revolution (1979), the newly formed Iranian government, under Ayatollah Khomeini, focused on a traditional, pro-natalist approach. Family planning clinics were closed down, birth control policy was suspended and abortion was re-criminalized.<ref>[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/583de01e29687f52b5487598/t/59a647219f8dcef77913d3eb/1504069410527/Aloosh+and+Saghai+2016+Birth+Control+Policies+in+Iran.pdf Birth control policies in Iran: a public health and ethics perspective - Mehdi Aloosh, Yashar Saghai]</ref>
From a historical perspective, Iran has frequently changed its family planning policies. In the 1960s, Iran recognized that it was experiencing rapid population growth, and national family planning policies were introduced. In fact, the Tehran Declaration of 1967 acknowledged family planning as a human right.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12322212 Iran's revolutionary approach to family planning]</ref> Yet, following the Iranian Revolution (1979), the newly formed Iranian government, under Ayatollah Khomeini, focused on a traditional, pro-natalist approach. Family planning clinics were closed down, birth control policy was suspended and abortion was re-criminalized.<ref>[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/583de01e29687f52b5487598/t/59a647219f8dcef77913d3eb/1504069410527/Aloosh+and+Saghai+2016+Birth+Control+Policies+in+Iran.pdf Birth control policies in Iran: a public health and ethics perspective - Mehdi Aloosh, Yashar Saghai]</ref>


However, in 1989, the government's policies began to rapidly change. The war with Iraq had ended, Ayatollah Khomeini had died, and the new leaders, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, recognized that there was a population growth problem. The government launched a new campaign to encourage families to have a maximum of two children under the slogan, "One is good. Two is enough."<ref>[http://bust.com/feminism/15416-births-of-a-nation.html Iran Once Offered Free Birth Control To All Its Citizens, And It Was Amazing]</ref> Furthermore, Iran's Health Ministry began providing free contraceptives, including condoms, pills, implants, IUDs and sterilization, which could be obtained at urban clinics, rural clinics and mobile clinics. The government also required that college students, soldiers and engaged couples take classes on family planning. These changes helped to successfully bring a decline in population growth and fertility rates.<ref>[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/583de01e29687f52b5487598/t/59a647219f8dcef77913d3eb/1504069410527/Aloosh+and+Saghai+2016+Birth+Control+Policies+in+Iran.pdf Birth control policies in Iran: a public health and ethics perspective - Mehdi Aloosh, Yashar Saghai]</ref>
However, in 1989, the government's policies began to rapidly change. The war with Iraq had ended, Ayatollah Khomeini had died, and the new leaders, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, recognized that there was a population growth problem. The government launched a new campaign to encourage families to have a maximum of two children under the slogan, "One is good. Two is enough."<ref>[http://bust.com/feminism/15416-births-of-a-nation.html Iran Once Offered Free Birth Control To All Its Citizens, And It Was Amazing]</ref> Furthermore, Iran's Health Ministry began providing free contraceptives, including condoms, pills, implants, IUDs and sterilization, which could be obtained at urban clinics, rural clinics and mobile clinics. The government also required that college students, soldiers and engaged couples take classes on family planning. These changes helped to successfully bring a decline in population growth and fertility rates.<ref>[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/583de01e29687f52b5487598/t/59a647219f8dcef77913d3eb/1504069410527/Aloosh+and+Saghai+2016+Birth+Control+Policies+in+Iran.pdf Birth control policies in Iran: a public health and ethics perspective - Mehdi Aloosh, Yashar Saghai]</ref>

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