TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pangeran Khairul Saleh, member of the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission XIII, which oversees human rights issues, has denounced West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi’s proposal to make vasectomy a condition for receiving social assistance. He called the idea flawed and a violation of human rights and constitutional protections.
"A permanent and private medical procedure should never be tied to welfare eligibility. This breaches fundamental human rights and humanitarian principles,” Pangeran said in a written statement on Tuesday, May 6.
He stressed that undergoing a vasectomy is a personal decision and cannot be coerced, even in the name of birth control. Linking such a procedure to access to welfare, he said, undermines citizens’ constitutional rights.
Pangeran drew parallels with the authoritarian-era family planning program under the New Order, which was enforced through administrative pressure and lacked public participation. That approach, he noted, caused long-lasting trauma for many who faced discriminatory practices devoid of human rights considerations.
"This kind of coercive policy should never be repeated,” said the National Mandate Party (PAN) politician.
Governor Dedi Mulyadi had earlier proposed that vasectomy be required for low-income residents in West Java seeking social aid. Under the plan, those who agreed to the procedure would receive a Rp500,000 incentive.
Dedi argued the policy would help curb poverty, citing frequent requests he receives for childbirth assistance, which he claimed can cost between Rp15 million and Rp25 million—often for a fourth or fifth child delivered via cesarean section.
During a coordination meeting at Depok City Hall on Tuesday, April 29, Dedi said that when someone chooses to marry, they must also be responsible for pregnancy, childbirth, and their children’s education. "If someone cannot afford the costs of pregnancy, delivery, and schooling, perhaps they should not yet consider becoming a parent," he added.
According to the Gerindra Party politician, the goal is to regulate births and reduce poverty, as families with many children tend to remain economically disadvantaged.
Meanwhile, West Java’s Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman, Rahmat Syafei, emphasized that vasectomy is forbidden in Islam unless justified by legitimate reasons, such as life-threatening health concerns.
He cited the 2012 Ijtima Ulama—an official national gathering of MUI fatwa commissioners—held in Cipasung, Tasikmalaya, which reaffirmed that sterilization without valid religious grounds is haram. "Vasectomy, as a form of permanent sterilization, is prohibited in Islam unless there are clear sharia-compliant reasons," Rahmat said on Thursday, May 1.
However, he noted that male contraception, including vasectomy, could be permitted under specific conditions—if it does not cause irreversible effects, poses no long-term harm, and allows for the restoration of reproductive function.
"Incentives are fine, but the vasectomy itself must still meet religiously acceptable conditions,” he added.
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