The paradoxical nature of Iranian society more often than not results in people covertly performing the forbidden. As this nature dictates, delving into the root of such social issues can be tough in the absence of credible statistics.

Abortion is illegal in Iran, unless in exceptional cases of health threats endangering the mother or fetus. In such cases, an official abortion permit is issued and the pregnancy can be ended at a public hospital. Medically legitimate pregnancies, however, are nipped in the bud early, or somewhat later in the course of the pregnancy under concealed circumstances.

On Jan. 28, Dr. Mohammad Esmaeel Motlagh, director of the Health and Population Bureau of Iran’s Ministry of Health, became the first Iranian official to present statistics related to illegal and underground abortion in Iran. Speaking at a conference on the topic of population decrease and its roots and reasons, Motlagh emphasized that the Ministry of Health is simply obligated to provide overall health to both mothers and infants, and it has no agenda regarding the rate of increase or decrease in the national population. This Iranian health official said the number of illegal abortions taking place in Iran over the course of an average year is 250,000; bringing it to an hourly average of 28.5 cases. This number is announced despite the fact that such abortions are not registered, and is thus perceived to be an estimation. Motlagh added that the average rate of illegal abortions has tripled over the past 15 years.

Permitted abortions are performed in cases of high-risk pregnancies and where potential birth defect is a danger. A physician’s permit, at times required to be accompanied by further medical evidence, suffices for a woman’s admission to any hospital to end her pregnancy. This includes public hospitals that generally accept insurance and cover the major part of expenses. According to Iran's Ministry of Health, the annual number of legal abortion cases is 6,000 a year.