On May 30, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks recommending restraint on the usage of birth control angered yet again women’s rights activists around the country. In an address he gave to the Service for Youth and Education Foundation of Turkey in Istanbul, President Erdogan stated, “I am saying this clearly: We will increase our posterity and reproduce generations. As for population planning or birth control, no Muslim family can engage in such a mentality. We will follow the road that my God and blessed Prophet [Muhammad] say.”

Opposition party leaders, health associations and activists released statements of disapproval soon after the president’s remarks. Ozgur Ozel, the deputy parliamentary leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), denounced Erdogan’s comments relating to women’s bodies. CHP spokesperson Selin Sayek Boke accused the government’s regime of denigrating women. “We don’t commit to who makes how many children, but to a good future to children who come to the world,” she said. The Turkish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology emphasized in a statement that reproductive rights are “the most natural right of women in Turkey, which is a democratic country.” Moreover, they pointed to illegal abortions and under-the-counter methods as negative consequences of abandoning birth control. Along similar lines, Turkish Women’s Union head Sema Kendirci expressed her discontent of the president’s usage of religious references, and further objected, “Who on earth could have the right to pressure families into having more children than they can provide for?”

On the other hand, there were those who stood in Erdogan’s defense while reaffirming freedom of individuals in their decisions. Health Minister Recep Akdag spoke to NTV television, “Our esteemed president is indicating the right concepts in reference to our people’s health. … [The] president’s statements are suitable for our society, culture and belief.” Akdag reaffirmed Turkey’s risk of speedy ageing, but clarified, “No one should be said or forced to give birth or not.” Similarly, Dr. Fatma Zehra Gunes from the Women’s Rights Organization Against Discrimination, known for being close to the government, said on BBC Turkey that statements from highly ranked politicians are being evaluated within society, after which individuals make their own decisions.

This is not the first time that Erdogan voiced his opinion on birth control, calling it “treason” in the past, while he also described abortion as “murder.” Since 2008, he has been urging women to have at least three children, so his remarks should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the governing Justice and Development Party's pronatalist agenda. In that light, in January 2015 then-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced the new Program for the Protection of the Family and Dynamic Population Structure. “Protection of the young population is not an ethic, but a strategic goal for us,” he stated at the time, while also announcing new measures for encouraging women’s employment. New reports show that Turkey has paid more than 450 million Turkish liras ($155 million) since May 2015 as part of a government program to encourage women to have more children.