RT:
The Iranian parliament has voted to ban all forms of permanent contraception and prohibit the advertisement of birth control. The vote endorses Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s calls to increase the population, local media reported.
The bill was approved by 143 out of 231 members present in parliament, IRNA reported. It prohibits all surgical operations to permanently prevent pregnancy, including vasectomies and female sterilization, unless the surgery is urgently needed due to health risks.
Any violation of the bill will be considered a crime, and violators will be fined, according to the state news agency.
Parliament also passed a law prohibiting media from giving publicity to birth control or the reduction of childbearing.
The bill will now be considered by a panel of theologians and jurists appointed by the Supreme Leader, in order to determine whether the proposal complies with Islam.
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Iran, Middle East