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Is it permissible to sterilize or agree not to procreate for fear of children contracting a mental illness?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible to cause oneself to be sterile, even with the husband's consent. The fundamental principle is procreation and propagation. It is not permissible to prevent conception for fear of children having disabilities. Rather, it is permissible only if pregnancy causes severe harm to the mother. Islamic jurisprudential councils and scholarly committees have forbidden birth control and permanent cessation of childbearing except out of a necessity estimated by trustworthy doctors. It is forbidden to remove the ability to procreate for either a man or a woman. However, temporary control over conception is permissible to space out pregnancies under specific conditions. Similarly, it is forbidden to take medication that completely suppresses desire or pregnancy.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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