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Is it permissible for a woman to abort a two-week-old fetus due to difficult family circumstances, represented by them being a displaced family, and the presence of a sick child who requires continuous care from the parents?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The preponderant opinion is that it is not permissible to abort the fetus at any stage. It is advised to avoid abortion, for the fetus might be a source of good for its parents, in accordance with the Almighty's saying: "And perhaps you dislike a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." However, if the parents fear severe hardship and distress due to the fetus's illness, some scholars have permitted its abortion before forty days if a valid excuse arises, and taking advantage of dispensations to avert hardship is an established principle.

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

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