Family planning could become law: A draft law to address Egypt’s overpopulation problem by enforcing family planning could be on the House of Representatives’ agenda soon, Rep. Rania El Gazayerli said (watch, runtime: 6:09). The MP didn’t delve into the details of what the legislation would entail, but did note that religious institutions such as Al Azhar and Dar Al Iftaa would weigh in on the legislation to ensure it meshes with religious norms. We’re guessing the legislation won’t be met with much opposition from Dar Al Iftaa, which started a hashtag campaign yesterday declaring family planning is permissible.

The legislative proposal comes after President Abdel Fattah El Sisi touched on the importance of family planning and birth control twice this month, most recently during the inauguration of the Ismailia Integrated Healthcare Complex this week. The president had said earlier this month, however, that the government isn’t looking to introduce “aggressive” measures to push family planning on the population. The Social Solidarity Ministry’s “Two is Enough” program — launched in 2018 — is hoped to bring down the birthrate to 2.4 children on average per woman by 2030.