Voice of British Muslim Women

Dr Munazzah Chou, Farnham

The debate between pro-life and pro-choice rages on and has come to the fore recently around the Irish referendum in which Ireland voted to repeal the amendment of its constitution which effectively prohibited abortion, and now the issue plays a central role in the appointment of a Supreme Court Judge in the US. It is a hugely emotive subject and positions are often entrenched on both sides.

Islam goes to great lengths to protect the sanctity of all human life and condemns abortion as tantamount to taking the life of another human being. However, when the mother’s health is in danger Islam grants greater right to the mother and abortion in this situation is not only permissible but advisable.

The Holy Qur’an states, ‘…nor kill a person that Allah has forbidden except for just cause…and he who does that shall meet with the punishment of sin .’ (25:69) ‘…whosoever killed a person … it shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whoso gave life to one, it shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.’ (5:33)

In England and Wales abortions are permitted on a number of grounds including grave danger to the health of the mother, expected serious physical or mental abnormalities of the child, and for any other physical or mental health risk for the mother if the pregnancy is under 24 weeks. In 2016 190,406 abortions were carried out, a rate of 16 per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Of these only 246 abortions were carried out due to grave danger of the pregnancy to the mother or risk of life and only 6 cases were performed as a medical emergency to save the life of the mother. The vast majority (97%) of abortions were carried out because of a stated risk to the woman’s mental health. This could for example be if a woman didn’t feel ready to raise a child at that point in time.

Pro-choice advocates believe that women have the right to access abortion as a valid and positive reproductive choice for any reason in an ‘on-demand’ service. The Holy Qur’an however, specifically forbids abortions due to fear of financial strain. It states, ‘Kill not your children for fear of poverty. It is We Who provide for them and for you. Surely, the killing of them is a great sin.”(17:32)

God’s bounty is limitless and in “Exploding Population Myths” Jim Peron writes that “in most of the world, food production is easily outstripping population growth, and on a world-wide basis the problem of overpopulation no longer exists. It is true, of course, that some nations still cannot feed themselves, but the reasons for this tend to be political.”

Unwanted pregnancies are the product of society’s attitude to sex and inadequate contraception. Islam is clear on the subject of appropriate sexual relations. However, as 16% of abortions in England and Wales are among married women, the issue of contraception is important to address. The fourth Khalifa of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Tahir Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in his book ‘Absolute, Justice, Kindness and Kinship’ that ‘Wherever Allah has forbidden family planning in the Holy Qur’an, He has done so on account of the fear of family planners for shortage of food. The Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) narrate that the only practice they carried out was not to abort children for fear of poverty, but to take preventative measures against their conception for other reason.’

Abortion as a means of contraception is unacceptable. As is true for all medical conditions prophylaxis is superior to treatment from a clinical as well as economic perspective, and in this case also from a moral standpoint. The relationship between accessible contraception and abortion rates is clear. In 2012 the average abortion rate in England and Wales was around 9.7% higher in areas where sexual health and contraceptive services were restricted, compared with areas with no restrictions. In the USA the poorest 33% account for 75% of abortions. So data strongly suggest that a significant proportion of women undergo terminations due to poverty. In this context abortion cannot be considered to be a “choice” and addressing poverty may avoid a number of unwanted abortions.

The theologian Helmut Thielicke, in his work Being Human, Becoming Human points out that ‘Only if human life is unconditionally sacred and humanity is made the measure of all things are we protected against its being made a thing or tool and thus consigned to the scrap heap, as machines are when they wear out and are no longer of use.’

References

Click to access Abortions_stats_England_Wales_2016.pdf

Chika E Uzoigwe, After 50 years of legal abortion in Great Britain, calls grow for further liberalisation, BMJ 2017;359:j5278

Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship p 384