Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
You may be allowed to abort if, based on your health condition and specific circumstances—as determined by your family doctor—it becomes unbearable for you.
Responding to the question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Generally speaking, abortion is considered sinful in Islam according to the authentic view of scholars. It is allowed only in exceptional cases, especially after the ensoulment, which takes place on the 120th day of conception (i.e., at twelve weeks).
Abortion after this is akin to murder, so it should never be a valid option unless there is real danger to the life of the mother.
Abortion in early stages, however, is considered less sinful. Your case should be judged based on the intensity of suffering and hardship you may have to go through if you were to go through the course of conception. You may be allowed to abort if, based on your health condition and specific circumstances—as determined by your family doctor—it becomes unbearable for you.
Only in case of extreme hardship may you be allowed to resort to this procedure. Should you decide this, you must do so without waiting any further, for delaying it further would only intensify the enormity of sin. So make a decision in consultation with your husband and the family doctor, and act accordingly. May Allah guide us all to the right decisions.
In the future, you must resort to reliable and safe methods of family planning, which is allowed in Islam, especially in cases like yours, so that you don’t have to go for such drastic and extreme measures.
For more, see these fatwas:
Abortion in Case of Rape: Allowed?
Marital Rape: How Seen From an Islamic Perspective?
Can a Rape Victim Abort Her Fetus?
Can My Wife Undergo Abortion during Pregnancy?
Can a Woman Commit Suicide If She Is About to be Raped?
A Man Raped His Daughter-in-Law: Any Punishment?
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.