Ban on Contraceptive Pills; Afghan Women Forced into Repeated Childbirth
- Ariahn Raya
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
A number of women in various provinces say the Taliban’s decision to ban the sale of contraceptive medicines in Afghanistan has placed families under severe pressure and has effectively forced women into repeated childbirth.
Critics of the policy say that through this measure, the Taliban have not only targeted people’s private lives but have also placed the health and safety of mothers and children at serious risk.
Suraya Nabizada, a mother of six and a resident of Jawzjan province, criticised the Taliban’s decision in an interview with Zan News, saying:
“Children are a blessing from God, but when we do not even have bread or clothing, bringing another child is only oppression. Now the Taliban do not even allow us to buy medicine to control our family size. Our lives have become captivity, and we no longer have any right to decide about our own children.”
Najla, another woman from Balkh province, also described the Taliban’s decision as interference in personal affairs and family privacy, saying: “Contraceptive pills are no longer being sold. It is true that children are a blessing, but forcing us into repeated childbirth has exhausted and broken us. The Taliban are destroying our lives.”
Meanwhile, obstetricians and gynaecologists have also warned about the dangerous consequences of this policy.
Hadia Mobasher, a gynaecology specialist in Kabul, told Zan News that repeated childbirth can lead to increased maternal and child mortality rates, as well as the spread of illness within families.
She added: “Mothers who give birth every year put their lives and health at risk, and their children suffer from malnutrition and disease. This Taliban order means the gradual killing of women and the imposition of inhumane pressure on families. Mothers’ right to choose has been taken away.”
Experts say the ban on the sale of contraceptive medicines is yet another example of the Taliban’s efforts to exert full control over people’s private lives and impose pressure on families, a move that constitutes a clear violation of human rights and women’s freedoms and poses a direct threat to public health.
