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Removing the Uterus for Medical Reasons: OK?

02 May, 2018
Q My mother has been having an 8cm fibroid in her uterus. The doctor told us to remove the uterus; if we are not hoping for more children, we should rather just take the uterus off. It is true that my mother is not hoping for more children being concerned for her health; she has an umbilical hernia which gets bigger in each pregnancy. Also she has thyroid problems, so the prospect of having children would come with health risks. Hence, the question is: is it wrong that my mom is controlling birth? Also, about the fibroid; if we take off the fibroid alone, then there are chances of the fibroid returning. She already had major surgeries in the past, so she is hoping that if we take the uterus off then we don’t have to worry about the fibroid returning. Based on this, is it wrong to take the uterus off?

Answer

Dr. Hatem Al-Haj
02 May, 2018

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:

There is no objection to remove the uterus if it is medically warranted.

Responding to your question, Dr. Hatem Al-Hajj, Dean of Shari`ah Academy of America, states:

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There is no harm in removing the uterus in your mother’s case, if it is medically warranted. Though, I would get a second opinion to confirm that this will not be a case of permanent sterilization, which is categorically forbidden, since the motive here and the justification is completely different.

Birth control for health concerns is also a legitimate practice, as long as the method used doesn’t cause more harm than the potential harm of pregnancy.

Almighty Allah knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.

Birth Control removing Uterus sterilization
About Dr. Hatem Al-Haj
Dean of the College of Islamic Studies at Mishkah University and a member of the Permanent Fatwa Committee for the Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA)