RULINGS ABOUT ABORTION IN ISLAM

Scholars have unanimously agreed that it is impermissible and completely prohibited to conduct an abortion if the age of the fetus has reached 120 days. This is because it is considered killing a soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right. Allah says in the holy Qur`an:
"And do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them." [6: 151] and,

"And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right." [17: 33].

The Islamic Fiqh Assembly of the Muslim World League based in Mecca has decided the following: "If the fetus has reached 120, it is impermissible to conduct an abortion even if it is medically diagnosed with congenital defects. However, if a committee of specialized physicians decided that the continuation of pregnancy imposes risk to the mother's life. In this case, it is permissible to conduct an abortion whether or not the fetus was deformed to undertake the lesser of two harms".

the decision should be taken upon by a committee formed by competent trustworthy physicians and provided that abortion is requested by the parents and the fetus is less than 120 days computed from the moment of conception

Box 1. Indications of abortion in maternal diseases before 4 months of gestation

Maternal diseases

• Valvular heart disease, function class III or IV heart failure, which are not reversible to function class II
• Non‐coronary acute heart problem, function class III or IV failure, such as myocarditis and pericarditis
• Any history of dilated cardiomyopathy in previous pregnancies
• Marfan syndrome accompanied by ascending aorta diameter >5 cm
• Eisenmenger syndrome
• Gestational fatty liver
• Oesophageal varices (grade III)
• History of bleeding from oesophageal varices after portal hypertension
• Uncontrollable autoimmune hepatitis
• Renal failure
• Hypertension (uncontrollable with permitted drugs in gestation period)
• Any pulmonary diseases such as emphysema, fibrosis, kyphoscoliosis, diffuse bronchiectasis with pulmonary hypertension even in the mild form
• Hypercoagulability in which heparin administration may worsen the mother's existing life‐threatening disease
• HIV infection that has entered the AIDS disease phase
• Uncontrollable active lupus with the involvement of a major organ
• Vasculites with the involvement of major organs
• All space‐occupying lesions of the central nervous system in which beginning treatment causes danger to the fetus and not beginning treatment causes danger to the mother
• Phemphigus vulgaris, severe and generalised psoriasis and end‐stage melanoma, which leads to serious fatal danger for the mother
• Epilepsy that is resistant to treatment, despite giving multiple drugs

• Box 2. Indications of abortion in fetal deformities and disorders incompatible with life

  Fetal conditions

  • Osteogenesis imperfecta
  • Osteochondrodysplasia
  • Infantile osteopetrosis (malignant form)
  • Bilateral renal agenesis
  • Polycystic kidney (recessive form)
  • Multicystic dysplastic kidneys
  • Potter's syndrome
  • Congenital nephrotic syndrome (with hydrops)
  • Chromosomal disorders leading to degenerative lesions and brain and kidney involvement, such as vertebrae, anus, cardiovascular tree, trachea, oesophagus, renal system and limb buds (VACTERL) syndrome
  • Severe bilateral hydronephrosis
  • α‐thalassaemia with hydropsis fetalis
  • Homozygote thrombotic disorders (ie, protein C or factor V Leiden deficiency)
  • Trisomy 8
  • Trisomy 13
  • Trisomy 16
  • Trisomy 18
  • Trisomy 3
  • Anencephaly
  • Fetal hydrops
  • Crie du Chat syndrome
  • Holoprosencephaly
  • Syringomyelia
  • Cranioschisis
  • Meningoencephalocele or hydroencephalocele
  • Thanatophoric dysplasia
  • Holoprosencephaly
  • Ichthyosis congenital neonatum
  • Schizencephaly
  • Exencephalia
  • sources of lists above--https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563289/
  • Muslim scholars have held that the child of rape is a legitimate child and thus it would be sinful to kill this child. Scholars permit its abortion only if the fetus is less than four months old, or if it endangers the life of its mother.
  • The Islamic Fiqh Assembly of the Muslim World League based in Mecca has decided the following: "If the fetus has reached 120, it is impermissible to conduct an abortion even if it is medically diagnosed with congenital defects. However, if a committee of specialized physicians decided that the continuation of pregnancy imposes risk to the mother's life. In this case, it is permissible to conduct an abortion whether or not the fetus was deformed to undertake the lesser of two harms".
     
  • SEE ALSO -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_abortion