There are two jurisprudential views regarding abortion:

Firstly: "If pregnancy would cause the woman a severe and abnormal danger, rather than the normal dangers that are due to pregnancy, or if pregnancy would cause her a serious difficulty that she could not tolerate, in this case, some religious jurists, including our teacher, Sayyed Abu al-Kasim El-Khoei, permit abortion on the basis of the Quranic rule: "and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion" (22:78). We agree with him on this ruling because continuing the pregnancy would cause a real danger and a serious damage to the woman's body, while, Allah did not impose on man any harmful or difficult ruling.

Secondly: "If the pregnancy puts the mother's life in a real danger, in this case, some religious jurists such as Sayyed El-Khouei permit the woman to protect herself even through undergoing abortion and we agree with him because the problem here is not a matter of a primary killing, rather it is a matter of protecting oneself. Some describe this case by saying that it is like when you are sleeping and an imprudent person throws himself on you with all his weight, and thus he constitutes a danger on your life in which you can not save yourself except by pushing him away in a way that he may die. In this case, it is permissible for you to do so in order to defend yourself". On the other hand "Some religious jurists say that they are waiting till Allah rules on this issue and they do not give any opinion regarding it".

But, if both, the mother and her fetus are in danger, in this case, the mother has the right to protect herself by undergoing abortion and no one else has the right to do so, whether the doctor, the child's guardian or the religious scholar, except if the latter permits so in a ruling. It is also permissible for the doctor to abort her if her life would be saved from the absolute danger and there should not be any precautionary ruling on this matter.

But, if the woman who became pregnant as a result of committing adultery or by a secret marriage (Mutaa or another kind of marriages), sees that the pregnancy puts her in a difficulty and danger from the society she lives in, in this case, it is permissible for her to abort herself. Thus, if continuing the pregnancy puts her life in a danger, or brings her a big shame that is usually unbearable, abortion is permissible but on condition that the fetus should not be in a stage in which he is considered to be given the spirit, unless if the woman's life is in an absolute danger.

Besides, it is impermissible to abort the child who is born as a result of adultery, just because he is an illegitimate child and there is no justification for that, except in one case, that is if the mother is afraid on her life, such as if her parents might kill her.

In some cases, it is permissible for the woman to undergo abortion. Hence, if we consider that she was raped, abortion is prohibited if that causes her only a bad feeling. But, if that may also cause a social disgrace that is usually unbearable due to the social circumstances; in this case, abortion is permissible on condition that the fetus is not considered to be given the spirit. In other cases, a woman may be raped or deceived and thus she became pregnant and would be killed, in this case, it is permissible for her to undergo abortion to save her life.