The Family Protection and Youth Population Law, with a supportive approach towards childbearing and increasing the youth population, was passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2021. This law introduces criminalization innovations such as prohibiting the unauthorized purchase, sale, distribution, possession, and transportation of common abortion drugs, penalizing managers who introduce individuals and centers for illegal abortions, and criminalizing offenses against the physical integrity of the fetus. Additionally, it eliminates mandatory prenatal screening as a form of decriminalization.
This research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to examine these innovations and compares the Family Protection and Youth Population Law with the Constitution, the 1996 Penal Code, the 2005 Therapeutic Abortion Law, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Smuggling of Goods and Currency Law. The study aims to provide a comprehensive and impartial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these criminalization and decriminalization innovations, as well as the law's alignment with other legal frameworks. The findings will offer recommendations to enhance the law's efficacy and achieve its objectives, paving the way for reforms in criminal and supportive policies related to family and youth population.
The results indicate that, despite significant innovations in the law, certain legal conflicts and challenges may hinder the full realization of its goals. This research seeks to answer the following questions: What are the criminalization and decriminalization innovations in the Family Protection and Youth Population Law? What are the conflicts between this law and other legal frameworks?