Is it permissible to perform a C-section to extract a live fetus from a deceased woman?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a pregnant woman dies and there is hope for the life of her fetus, it is obligatory to remove it, even by Caesarean section if it cannot be removed otherwise. If there is no hope for its life, then it is not permissible to perform the operation, and it should be buried with its mother. Al-Nawawi and Ibn Uthaymeen mentioned the permissibility of incising the mother's abdomen to remove a live fetus for which there is hope of life, considering that this is not considered mutilation in the modern era.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/17615
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 17615
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy