Judicial Approach to Medical Abortion; An Overview of Medical Abortion Rules in the Support of Family and Youth Population Act

One of the main concerns for policymakers in recent decades has been the declining population growth. To address this concern, several suggestions have been made. The Family and Youth Protection Act represents the latest volition of policymakers to alter the population growth trend. In addition to incentive mechanisms, the dominant view of this law has been the adoption of punitive measures which are also effective in population growth. Therefore, in addition to limiting sterilization and providing contraceptives, this act has also provided the guarantee of criminal executions. Furthermore, the law has altered the rules for issuing medical abortion licenses. A quick overview of Article 56 of the Family Protection and Youth Law indicates that the legislature has attempted to decrease the number of medical abortions by replacing the judicial approach with a medical approach. Manifestations of this approach can be observed in the process of processing medical abortion licenses, altering the structure of licensing applications, and intensifying criminal measures. This act has also made changes in the case of licensing rules. Despite the desired objective of policymakers, the authors maintain that medical abortion is more of a medical issue than a judicial one, and any alterations in this case should be performed meticulously and in consultation with experts. It is therefore suggested that the new provisions of this act be revised and the role of forensic medicine in issuing medical abortion licenses be highlighted.