title: Right to sexual and reproductive health in new population policies of Iran.
abstract: Sexual and reproductive health services in Iran are influenced by population policies. Willingness of Iranian policy makers to control the population's growth rate resulted in the provision of countrywide family planning services and contraceptives from 1990 to 2013. Now policy makers favour population growth because of a statistically significant decline in the fertility rate and ageing of the population. New population policies contain incentives for higher fertility and limitations on family planning services. Some elements of these policies contradict standards of international human rights treaties including prohibition against retrogressive measures and limitations on sexual and reproductive health services. These policies may jeopardize individual and public health. Iran should immediately revoke these laws and policies and progressively improve people's enjoyment of their right to sexual and reproductive health. The country's population policies should focus on encouraging people to have higher fertility by providing financial and social support to parents and future children.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy and Management of Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Mrs.kokabi@yahoo.com.|School of Health of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Mrs.kokabi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kokabisaghi
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D034121:Reproductive Health Services
keywords: Iran; population policy; public health; right to health; right to sexual and reproductive health