The Iranian Healthcare Ministry has confirmed that its 20-year-old birth control program has been scrapped. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said that the country needs a population of 150-200 million people (the current population is 80 million), Iran News reports.
The government issued $10 billion for support of large families and boosting the birth rate.
The UN says that Iran has the highest rate of birth reduction. It had a population growth rate of 3.2% annually in 1986 and 1.2% now. Such a tendency could cause a drop in the population.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that a high birth rate is essential for the state for victory over its enemies.
Experts say that the state program cannot affect the birth rate, because it does not protect children from unemployment and poverty. More Iranians are trying to postpone marriages or not marry at all.
Iran scraps birth control program
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