ISLAM and ABORTION

1. ISLAM and ABORTION “Slay not your children….the killing of them is a great sin.” From the Qu’ran - Surah 17, ayat 31

2. ISLAM and Abortion • Today, Abortion in the Islamic world is ONLY allowed where the mothers life is in danger. • The main reason for this (similar to some Christians) is that most Muslims would argue that the mothers life is worth more than that of her unborn child.

3. ISLAM and ABORTION • It should be stressed that abortion is only performed as the lesser of two evils. The mother has established duties, responsibilities and relationships; a potential baby has not. • In Islam, as with other faiths, some women argue that it is a woman’s right to choose what she does with her own body.

4. ISLAM and ABORTION • Other points of view Muslims might offer is that the mother should NOT conveniently forget that her body affects others i.e. the unborn child • The Qu’ran says that on Judgement Day, the infants will want to know why they were killed.

5. ISLAM and ABORTION • We can see the importance of the mother overriding others in a passage from the Hadith:- • “A man came to the Prophet and asked ‘who among all people is most worthy of my good company?’. The Prophet replied ‘your mother’. The man asked ‘who next?’. The Prophet said ‘your mother’. The man then asked a third time and got the same reply. Only on the fourth time did the Prophet say ‘your father’ “