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The Iranian Health Ministry announced on April 16 that doctors and midwives in Iran would be banned from running screening tests in pregnancy – tests which can reveal abnormalities or certain conditions in the fetus, a move that sparked indignation from activists in the country. Pregnancy screenings, often used to detect genetic diseases, can now only be carried out by court order, rendering them largely inaccessible, particularly for the most disadvantaged families.
An order passed in 2021 under the header “Family protection and population renewal” was thought to have been forgotten, until the Iranian president signed it into law on April 16. Article 54 of the law prohibits screening tests during pregnancy without a court order.
Fetal anomaly screenings can allow doctors to detect genetic conditions, such as Edward’s syndrome, Down syndrome or spina bifida, early in pregnancy. Until now, the detection of a grave illness of the fetus is one of two reasons that a person may voluntarily terminate a pregnancy in Iran, the other being that the pregnancy poses a mortal risk to the mother. The operation must be carried out before the fourth month of pregnancy.
The new measure is the latest in an ongoing effort to increase fertility in Iran. Since 2011, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has pushed Iran to improve its population growth rate, which stagnates around 1.3, compared to 2 in neighbouring Pakistan and 2.3 in Iraq.
To encourage Iranian families, the Islamic Republic has taken different measures such as widespread publicity campaigns, economic incentives for having children, or even restricting the distribution of contraceptives and condoms at family planning centres. In response to the general ineffectiveness of these measures, ultra-conservatives in the Iranian Parliament pushed for restrictions…
Source : france24
