Abortion based on the doctors' suspicion that the fetus will be born with a disability
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Fatwa No. ( 12946 )
Q: A woman became pregnant with a fetus, and then gave birth to it after nine months, fully formed, but without bones. It remained for moments after its birth and then died. She became pregnant again, and she is currently in an American hospital here, and the
doctors have performed analyses and radiological examinations indicating that the current fetus is like the previous one, and if it is alive in her womb, they proposed to her that they abort her pregnancy now, and she is in her fifth month, so that they can perform medical analyses on the fetus they propose to abort, perhaps they will determine the causes of the lack of bone formation in this woman's fetuses. We discussed the matter with the treating American doctor, and he stated that he expects the fetus to be born deformed and without bones, which makes the probability of it remaining alive after birth very weak, and he confirmed his proposal to the woman to abort, and I had thought that the fetus should be left until the woman gives birth naturally without abortion, but the woman is Saudi, and she wants to return to the Kingdom, and her remaining here for four more months exposes her to many financial and psychological difficulties. She fears—and her doctors share this fear—that if she travels, she might miscarry in a place where doctors cannot perform the necessary analyses on the fetus; therefore, they propose aborting the fetus now. We ask your permission to inform us as soon as possible of what you see, and whether the scholars have previously researched a case like this, and may Allah the Exalted guide you to what He loves and is pleased with.
A: It is not permissible to abort the fetus merely on the suspicion of the doctors that it will be born without bones; because the original ruling is the prohibition of killing the protected soul without right.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: A woman became pregnant with a fetus, and then gave birth to it after nine months, fully formed, but without bones. It remained for moments after its birth and then died. She became pregnant again, and she is currently in an American hospital here, and the
doctors have performed analyses and radiological examinations indicating that the current fetus is like the previous one, and if it is alive in her womb, they proposed to her that they abort her pregnancy now, and she is in her fifth month, so that they can perform medical analyses on the fetus they propose to abort, perhaps they will determine the causes of the lack of bone formation in this woman's fetuses. We discussed the matter with the treating American doctor, and he stated that he expects the fetus to be born deformed and without bones, which makes the probability of it remaining alive after birth very weak, and he confirmed his proposal to the woman to abort, and I had thought that the fetus should be left until the woman gives birth naturally without abortion, but the woman is Saudi, and she wants to return to the Kingdom, and her remaining here for four more months exposes her to many financial and psychological difficulties. She fears—and her doctors share this fear—that if she travels, she might miscarry in a place where doctors cannot perform the necessary analyses on the fetus; therefore, they propose aborting the fetus now. We ask your permission to inform us as soon as possible of what you see, and whether the scholars have previously researched a case like this, and may Allah the Exalted guide you to what He loves and is pleased with.
A: It is not permissible to abort the fetus merely on the suspicion of the doctors that it will be born without bones; because the original ruling is the prohibition of killing the protected soul without right.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.