Elahe Ravanshad is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
Iranian authorities appear to have intensified their crackdown on anti-government protests in predominately Kurdish areas. There are reports of security forces using firearms and firing tear gas indiscriminately, including into people's homes.
Iran has approved a law that bans sterilization, restricts access to abortions, and prevents hospitals and clinics from giving out free contraceptives. The move is aimed at boosting the country's sharply declining birth rate. But the law has been met with widespread criticism.
