The Taliban have banned the use of contraception in two cities, claiming its use by women is part of a Western agenda to control the Muslim population
Pharmacies in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif have been ordered to dispose of all contraception, including birth control medicines and devices, and to stop selling them, according to a report from The Guardian.
Store owners and midwives have said they have been threatened by members of the Taliban.
“They came to my store twice with guns and threatened me not to keep contraceptive pills for sale. They are regularly checking every pharmacy in Kabul and we have stopped selling the products,” one store owner told The Guardian.
Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to give birth, and has a high maternal mortality rate – the highest in Asia according to the United Nations Population Fund 2022 report. 638 out of every 100,000 mothers die during childbirth in Afghanistan, a number that has increased since the Taliban takeover.
The focus on contraception is the latest crackdown on women’s rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021.
Since then, the Taliban have closed universities for women, restricted girls from accessing education, and inhibited women’s abilities to leave their homes, participate in paid employment and live freely.
The Taliban’s ministry of health has not yet issued a statement on its stance on contraception.