The fetus's deformity does not justify abortion
Many people may suffer from the problem of the fetus's deformity. In
Islam, it is prohibited in general to abort the deformed fetus;
otherwise, it would be permissible for us to kill deformed persons. And
if we are going to kill deformed people or fetuses, why do we then
establish hospitals and sanatoriums for deformed people? Moreover, if it
is permissible to kill the deformed fetus, why is it prohibited to kill
him when he is growing up? Both, the deformed fetus and the deformed
person represent a problem in people's views. Then, why do not we think
that medicine may become more advanced and help in a way or another in
treating this deformity.
Moreover, undergoing abortion because the woman was exposed to a
radioactive material and that the fetus may have been deformed is
impermissible. That is because "abortion is permissible only if the
pregnant woman is in danger and not if the fetus is deformed".
Regarding the opinion that says that medicine can make a precise
diagnosis that can discover deformed fetuses who would not live, such as
discovering some fetuses who do not have skulls, we consider that "this
issue may be related to the moral aspect that has to do with life. Is the
creature's life considered an ordinary issue that is subjected to
material elements? Which means that a creature will be born and I do not
want him to make me tired, so I kill him?! Moreover, I believe that some
cases are not impossible to be treated because medicine has made progress
in these domains. Therefore, why do not we give him a chance to live? And
as we said, if we supposed that the issue is that the deformed child will
make us tired, so, why do we support and provide for the elderly and
handicapped and the like? And why do those who suffer from incurable
diseases live and feel pain? This issue is a matter of principle."
On the other hand, there is no extraordinary one hundred percent
diagnosis because there might be an error in the machine and the
diagnosis might be wrong. Therefore, we can not give a decisive ruling
for killing every fetus that is diagnosed as deformed. Besides, some
persons might be wrongly diagnosed as deformed and then we discover that
the diagnosis was wrong. I had a personal experience in this respect; my
wife was pregnant and sick and doctors said that the baby will absolutely
be deformed, but in the end he was one of my most beautiful children.
Consequently, general laws could not be comprehensive.
They may not apply on 30 percent of the cases. And the thirty percent
could be raised in many cases to seventy percent. Therefore, we have to
accept the negativities in our life so that the general law that protects
the positivities is applied.