A law aimed at boosting Iran's population came went into effect on Tuesday, announced by President Ebrahim Raisi, even after concerns were raised that it would limit women's access to reproductive healthcare.
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The "Youthful Population and Protection of the Family" legislation was approved by Iran's parliament in October 2021.
This law renders reproductive screening optional, imposes restrictions on abortion, and limits access to contraception while providing added benefits to families with more children.
It also tasks public broadcasters with producing content that encourages women to have more children and denounces celibacy or abortion.
About 46.6% of Iran's population of 83 million is under 30-years-old, according to the latest data published in 2019 by the national statistics office.
The population under 30 has dropped since 2010 at a negative rate of 3.24%.
According to the World Bank, Iran's population growth rate sharply declined from over 4% in the early 1980s to 1.29% in 2020.
United Nations officials as well as women's rights activists, among other rights groups, criticized the law.
"The consequences of this law will be crippling for women and girls' right to health," UN officials said on Tuesday.
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They added that it "represents an alarming and regressive U-turn by a government that had been praised for progress on the right to health."
On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said the law "further violates women's rights to sexual and reproductive health and puts women's health and lives at risk."
It called on Iran to "immediately repeal the provisions that restrict human rights."
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
