What is the ruling of Islamic law on aborting a fetus in the middle of the fifth month that suffers from severe deformities in the upper part of the skull, given that doctors advise abortion and the opinions of Muslim scholars differ?
If the fetus completes four months, the soul is breathed into it, and aborting it at that point becomes the killing of a soul, which is a great major sin. The doctors' statement about the presence of deformities does not justify killing it. If it were to be stillborn or born alive and then die, the parents would be rewarded for its loss. And if it lives with a disability, they would be rewarded for their patience with it. Every matter that befalls a believer is good, whereas taking a life brings nothing but evil and sin. It is also necessary to consider the possibility of errors in doctors' estimations and the changes that might occur to the fetus. And Allah Almighty knows best.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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