Jazeera Net-Tehran
Abortion is one of the most harsh experiences, both moral and physical, of any woman who has decided not to continue to conceive for various reasons and motives.The abortion decision may sometimes have a positive impact on the lives of some, while leaving a painful impact in others.
But it takes an unfortunate turn if abortion is done underground in inappropriate circumstances that can sometimes lead to death in order to avoid law and social accountability according to societal customs and traditions.
Thousands of women in Iran perform abortions annually in legal and illegal ways. Official figures are also different from the actual figures for the number of secret abortions, whose exact figure is unknown.
Conditions for legal abortion
Iranian law criminalizes abortion and punishes the perpetrator and anyone who contributed to the completion of the operation unless three conditions are met: the fetus is underdeveloped, congenital malformation, or risking the life of the mother if the pregnancy continues. In forensic medicine, the operation is to be performed before the fetus has completed its fourth month.
Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Akhundi, founder of Ibn Sina Center for Infertility Treatment, head of the Scientific Society for Embryology in Iran, said that we do not have accurate statistics on the number of abortions that occur in society because some resort to abortion in full confidentiality irregularities by law, while the reported numbers of abortions They are based on existing estimates and evidence.
| Iranian law criminalizes abortion and punishes the perpetrator and anyone who contributed to the completion of the operation (websites) |
Awesome numbers and statistics
Akhundi pointed out that in 1995 the Ministry of Health announced 80,000 abortions a year, bringing the number in 2013 to 250 thousand cases, and Dr. Mohammad Baqer Larijani, educational assistant to the Minister of Health in 2017 that the number of abortions (legal and illegal) ranging from 300 And 500 thousand cases in the country, or about 1000 abortions a day, of which only 10 are legal.
Akhundi adds - according to confirmed sources - that the number of abortions rose to 700 thousand cases a year, calling for addressing the matter and filling the legal vacuum, to reduce the spread of this phenomenon.
Meanwhile, the director general of the Ministry of Health's Population, Family and Schools Health Office, Syed Hamid Barakati, announced in July this year that the number of abortions in Iran is expected to reach 250,000 (685 cases per day), 7,000 of which are officially performed. .
| Because of the spread of abortion, the so-called black market and drug trade appeared in some Iranian streets. |
Causes and motives of abortion
Analysts point out that the most important reasons for women to have an abortion in Iran are: unwanted pregnancy by the couple for economic reasons, or time and place inappropriate for them, or even because of the sex of the fetus or the unwillingness of parents to take responsibility, or sometimes pregnancy among the engaged Before marriage, or because of an illegal relationship.
In addition, the prevalence of early puberty in children, access to pornographic sites, immoral movies on mobile phones and the use of VPN programs have reduced the age of sexual relations, in addition to the prevalence of white marriage in young people, or so-called " Cohabitation "is another cause that has contributed to the spread of abortion.
The weak structure of the mother and the marriage of underage girls, and the lack of education of children and young people in schools, the media or the community to avoid sexual problems and pregnancy, are further indications of why abortion is widespread in Iran.
View this post on Instagram “For five years, the Slovak artist has been sculpting a statue that gives hope and healing to previously aborted women who suffer grief and remorse, which will touch the hearts across the world. The boy touches the woman's head in a gentle healing and forgiveness gesture. Martin Hodasik saw, people were touched by his sculpture. "Some people shouted (this is us), they were crying. Many said the sculpture touched their hearts. ”A memorial to unborn children“ The name of the sculpture, through which Hodasic hopes to heal men and women involved in abortion. A post shared by Maha Hashem (@mahahhashem) on Nov 28, 2015 at 5:16 am PST |
Abortion is a crime
Ali Zandi, a surgeon and specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, told Al Jazeera Net that the number of abortions is not clear to us, but from the number of patients in our clinic we know that there are many cases happening in the country, and most of them do not know the legal aspects and do not have full knowledge of the topic that Abortion is a crime.
Zandi called for breaking the taboo to talk about it and educating children and young people in different ways about matters related to sexuality to avoid the spread of problems such as abortion and AIDS. The novel is attractive, as it indirectly teaches the reader.
Zandi pointed out that there are problems that threaten the life of the mother in illegal abortion, such as: the intensive and indiscriminate use of drugs that cause severe allergic reactions in women, as well as the use of tools and machines and non-sterile rooms that cause serious infection leading to death sometimes, and operations are carried out by non-specialists causing bleeding It is damaged in the womb down to eternal infertility sometimes.
Because of the spread of this phenomenon in the country, the so-called "black market" and the sale of abortion drugs appeared in the streets of some cities and the capital and sold to people, the most famous of which is Nasir Khusraw Street in Tehran, which has become a haven for mafia drugs sold at high prices illegally, and many resort in the absence of some Medicines from pharmacies, especially after the imposition of US sanctions on Iran.
Physical and legal problems
Analysts believe that abortion laws in Iran need to be reviewed to fill gaps and deficiencies in order to alleviate the spread of the phenomenon, for example if the girl was raped, what is the fate of her fetus? How can the mother go to the hospital for a legal abortion as long as the deficiency of the fetus is known only in the 18th week of pregnancy and can only be officially aborted before the 19th week of pregnancy (before the soul enters it)?
In addition to the physical and legal problems that threaten families, especially mothers in the case of abortion, there are moral problems hugging the mother for long periods and affect her personal life and the way she deals with others in society after abortion, and these crises can not be avoided and alleviated these problems - especially pregnancy Desirable - only by educating the community and enlightening it with sex education for all age groups.