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In the US, many of us were educated as children with the mantra of "We're Number One." But when you learn more about other countries, you see that they are often superior in various ways.. It's time we start to better appreciate these ways. If you've traveled or lived outside the US, the Free Press invites you to contribute to this column.

Iran: Model for Family Planning

by Janet Larsen, Earth Policy Institute

Iran's population growth rate dropped from 3.2 percent in 1986 to just 1.2 percent in 2001, one of the fastest drops ever recorded. Thus, the country has emerged as a model for other countries wanting to accelerate the shift to smaller families.

Iran's first family planning policy was introduced in 1967 under Shah Reza Pahlavi, aiming to accelerate economic growth and improve the status of women by reforming divorce laws, encouraging female employment and acknowledging family planning as a human right. But this initiative was reversed in 1979 at the beginning of the decade-long Islamic revolution. During this period, family planning programs were seen as undue western influences and were dismantled. Health officials were ordered not to advocate contraception. During Iran's war with Iraq between 1980 and 1988, a large population was viewed as a comparative advantage, and Khomeini pushed procreation to bolster the ranks of "soldiers for Islam," aiming for "an army of 20 million." This strong pronatalist stance led to an annual population growth rate of well over 3 percent. United Nations data show Iran's population doubling from 27 million in 1968 to 55 million in 1988.

During postwar reconstruction in the late 1980s, the economy faltered. Severe job shortages plagued overcrowded and polluted cities. Rapid population growth was finally seen as an obstacle to development. Ayatollah Khomeini reopened dialog on the subject of birth control, and by 1989 Iran had revived its national family planning program. Its principal goals were to encourage women to wait three to four years between pregnancies, to discourage childbearing for women younger than 18 or older than 35, and to limit family size to three children.

In 1993 the Iranian government passed a law encouraging couples to have fewer children by restricting maternity leave benefits after three children. It also called for family planning information to be in curriculum materials and allowed the media to discuss population issues and family planning programs. Money saved on reduced maternity leave funds these programs.

The government covers 80 percent of family planning costs. A comprehensive health network made up of mobile clinics and 15,000 "health houses" provides family planning and health services to four fifths of Iran's rural population. Almost all of these health care centers were established after 1990. Because family planning is integrated with primary health care, there is little stigma attached to modern contraceptives. Religious leaders have become involved with the crusade for smaller families, citing them as a social responsibility in their weekly sermons. They also have issued fatwas, religious edicts with the strength of court orders, that permit and encourage the use of all types of contraception, including permanent male and female sterilization, a first among Muslim countries. Birth control, including the provision of condoms, pills, and sterilization, is free.

One of the strengths of Iran's promotion of family planning is the involvement of men. Iran is the only country in the world that requires both men and women to take a class on modern contraception before receiving a marriage license. And it is the only country in the region with a government-sanctioned condom factory. In the past four years, some 220,000 Iranian men have had a vasectomy. While vasectomies still account for only 3 percent of contraception, compared with female sterilization at 28 percent, men nonetheless are assuming more responsibility for family planning.

Rising literacy and a national communications infrastructure are facilitating progress in family planning. The literacy rate for adult males increased from 48 percent in 1970 to 84 percent in 2000, nearly doubling in 30 years. Female literacy climbed even faster, rising from less than 25 percent in 1970 to more than 70 percent. Meanwhile, school enrollment grew from 60 to 90 percent. And by 1996, 70 percent of rural and 93 percent of urban households had televisions, allowing family planning information to be spread widely through the media. As one of 17 countries already facing absolute water scarcity, Iran's decision to curb its rapid population growth has helped alleviate the shortages. An estimated 37 million people, more than half the population, do not have enough water.

Because almost 40 percent of Iran's population is under the age of 15, population momentum is strong and growth in the immediate future is inevitable. To keep growth rates low, Iran needs to continue emphasizing the social value of smaller families.

Other developing countries with fast-growing populations can profit by following Iran's lead in promoting population stability.

This excerpted article is from Earth Policy Institute and is reprinted with permission. For the full story and more links, see www.earth-policy.org/Indicators/indicator1.htm.