This week’s reading on reproductive health in Iran brought me some insight in the intersection of health and religion, which can be a difficult area for many. While blatantly ignoring religion and its importance in many regions and cultures creates problems, I was curious to learn more about how health professions tackle this issue. One source states that over 90% of the population in Iran practice Islam, and as such their religious beliefs and texts are believed to play a large role in their life practices, which include to some extent those of reproductive health. In working with religious officials, health professionals were able to create great change and increase in health in Iran. As such, the nation won the 1998 UN Population Award for successfully reducing population growth with the implementation of the Population and Family Planning Program. I decided to look into whether this award was still being given out, and found that in 2014 it went to Italy, for their development in the category of obstetric care. However, the nation did not accept the redefinition of the family, only including one man and one women joining together, and was not willing to accept and implement sex education for all adolescents and young adults who are not currently getting married. I found the cultural aspects of population growth and its solutions in this nation interesting. For example, at first Iran was not willing to combat its increasing population as a problem, as in previous years a large population was the sign of a strong nation and no problem was detected. Also, a major player in reducing population growth by implementing family planning measures such as contraception was when Islamic clergy members deemed it acceptable. This was notable because they were able to use religious texts and historical evidence to back the acceptance of contraception as a method of family planning. Therefore, I am very intrigued to learn more about the overlapping of religious ideals and modern health practices, as often they can clash but with careful interactions can be successfully done to better the health outcomes of a nation.
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