The Iranian Parliament says the Health Commission has amended the new fertility bill, eliminating prison sentences for vasectomies and tubectomies.

Abdolrahman Rostamian reports that physicians who perform these procedures will not face imprisonment but in the new draft of the bill they first would be given oral and then written warning and would finally face the closure of their practice.

He added that any advertisement for fertility control would be referred to the judiciary for prosecution.

Iran’s Supreme Leader has announced in recent years that his earlier recommendation to promote population control was erroneous and he is now recommending concentrated government action to ensure population growth.

Prior to the sudden turn in Ayatollah Khamenei’s recommendations, Iran had been implementing a systematic plan to promote population control all across the country, which was so successful it earned the country an award from the World Health Organization.

Now Parliament is reversing all the legislation and regulations in that plan and passing bills to increase the fertility rate.

Radio Zamaneh