Is it permissible to abort a fetus that is 35 days old if there is a high probability of it having deformities, especially after the mother stopped taking a medication that causes these deformities?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Some scholars consider abortion permissible before forty days, or before the ensoulment, while others deem it absolutely forbidden. The latter view is the more preponderant one, because the nutfah (zygote/sperm drop), after it settles, begins to form and prepares for the ensoulment. This is also based on the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) saying about coitus interruptus (azl): “That is the hidden infanticide.” Therefore, intentional abortion is not permissible unless the continuation of the fetus’s life threatens the mother’s life. The possibility of the fetus being deformed does not justify aborting it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/35950
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 35950
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy