Is it permissible to cut open the abdomen of a deceased pregnant woman to extract a living fetus?
It is permissible to incise the abdomen of a deceased woman to extract a living fetus if it is not possible to extract it by other means. This is because, with the advancement of surgical techniques, it is no longer considered mutilation. The safety of the fetus takes precedence, as the benefit of extracting a living newborn outweighs the harm of incising the abdomen of the deceased. Jurists have explicitly stated the permissibility of incising the abdomen in cases where part of the fetus emerges alive, to extract the remainder for the benefit of the newborn.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/25052