Abortion is the act of expelling the fetus from the womb before it is fully developed or before the 20th week of pregnancy. In the following, you will become familiar with the rulings regarding abortion in Islam. Stay with Saednews.
What is the ruling on abortion in Islam?
When a fetus forms in the mother’s body and is expelled dead before birth, it is said to have been aborted. Statistics show that approximately 40 to 50 million fetuses are aborted worldwide each year, and according to the Ministry of Health, the number of abortions in Iran reaches 220,000 annually. The modernization of lifestyle, economic problems, and the taboo surrounding illicit relationships are all common reasons for abortion. It is not necessary for the child’s creation to be complete at birth, but if a clot of blood is expelled from the woman's womb and she knows or four midwives testify that if that clot had remained in the womb, it would have developed into a human, and if she sees blood for up to ten days, that blood is considered postpartum bleeding.
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🤰 👼Fetus in Islam:
Is a ritual bath required after abortion?
Abortion in Islam does not require a ritual bath unless postpartum bleeding (nifas) occurs at the time of abortion, or the dead fetus touches the mother. In such cases, after being cleansed from postpartum bleeding, she must perform both a ritual bath for nifas and for touching a dead body. If the dead fetus has no contact with the mother's body, only the ritual bath for nifas is obligatory.
Question: What should a woman do if she has a miscarriage before four months?
Answer from Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: She should follow the guidelines for postnatal bleeding and perform her religious duties while avoiding activities that are prohibited for a menstruating woman. If she is cleansed before ten days pass from the miscarriage, and then sees blood again (even a light spot), she should act according to the same rules as long as the total duration of purity and bleeding does not exceed ten days. If the bleeding continues for more than ten days, she should follow the instructions for postnatal bleeding.
Question: If a woman has a miscarriage, does the blood that comes out after the abortion count as postpartum bleeding?
Answer from Ayatollah Wahid Khorasani: It is not necessary for the fetus to be fully developed; even if incomplete, if it is considered by common standards to have been born, the blood seen up to ten days is considered postpartum bleeding. In case of doubt about whether it has been delivered according to common standards, that blood will not be considered as postpartum bleeding.
🤰 👼Ruling on illegal abortion:
If the pregnancy is the result of adultery or an illegitimate relationship, and preserving the woman's life, dignity, or reputation depends on abortion, some scholars like Seyed Abdul-Ali Sabzevari absolutely prohibit abortion. According to Ayatollah Khoei's fatwa, if the soul has not yet been breathed into the fetus and its survival poses a significant risk to the mother's health, abortion is permissible. After the soul has been breathed into the fetus, abortion is categorically prohibited. If the fetus is a result of adultery, the woman can travel to a distant place to give birth there.
🤰 👼Ruling on the blood money (diyah) for a 40-day abortion:
Despite the advent of medicinal abortion methods, which allow women, even in countries with strict abortion laws, to obtain abortion pills online, abortion in Islam is not permitted due to financial or economic problems. If a fetus is diagnosed with a disease, and continuing with the pregnancy is a burden for the mother, abortion before the soul is breathed into the fetus is permissible. After the soul has entered the fetus, abortion is not allowed.
The blood money for abortion depends on the stage of pregnancy. For example, during the first 45 days, the fetus is considered sperm (nutfah) and the blood money is 30 mithqal (about 118 grams) of gold. The amounts increase as the fetus develops.
👳Ayatollah Khamenei's views on abortion in Islam (Q&A):
Question: Can a specialist doctor diagnose fetal defects during pregnancy and, considering the difficulties that those born with defects face in life, is abortion permissible in cases where the fetus is deemed defective?
Answer: Abortion is not permissible just because the fetus is defective or due to the potential life difficulties it may face.
Question: Is it permissible to terminate a pregnancy before the fetus reaches the stage of alaqah (clot) which lasts about 40 days?
Answer: Abortion is not permissible after the sperm has settled in the womb and at any stage thereafter.
Question: Is abortion allowed if it is due to economic hardship?
Answer: Abortion is not permitted solely due to economic difficulties.
Question: If the doctor believes that continuing the pregnancy would pose a risk to the mother's life or that the fetus would be born deformed, is abortion permissible before the soul has entered the fetus?
Answer: The mere fact of the fetus being deformed does not justify abortion before the soul is breathed into it, but if continuing the pregnancy poses a risk to the mother's life, abortion is allowed before the soul enters the fetus.
☪Islamic Penal Code:
According to Article 306 of the Islamic Penal Code, abortion is considered a crime and punishable by blood money and other penalties. However, if the fetus's survival would pose a threat to the mother's life, no blood money is required. The law outlines the blood money for the fetus at various stages of development, depending on the stage at the time of abortion.
