Is Iran becoming the Mecca of reproductive tourism?
Professor of anthropology and international affairs Marcia Inhorn, journalist Azadeh Moaveni and auhtor Shereen El Feki joined HuffPostLive on Thursday to discuss why couples from around the world are traveling to the Islamic nation to undergo fertility treatment.
Prof. Inhorn pointed at the high cost of fertility treatments in countries such as the United States to explain part of the phenomenon. She said: "Because it is much less expensive to do IVF in the Middle East, Middle Eastern couples living in the west who are infertile and would like to access these technologies and can't afford $12,000 for a cycle of IVF in the U.S. for example would go back to places like Lebanon, Turkey or Iran simply because it's much less expensive to do IVF back home."
Azadeh Moaveni, journalist and author, added that the Iranian government has also taken specific measures to make fertility treatment more accessible. According to Moaveni, there has been a big push in the country over the past decade to make the treatment partially subsidized and even sanctioned by religious authorities. "Iran is pushing a lot of tabboos," Moaveni said.
Watch the full discussion on fertility treatments in Iran in the video above.