Perspectives on women's Issues (3)

ABORTION AND THE MEANING OF HUMAN LIFE

Tehran Times International Weekly

November 3, 1994. page 13

ABORTION AND THE MEANING OF HUMAN LIFE

By: Dr Zuhair Araji

People value human life through its natural process. They understand and respect the idea and process of conception, pregnancy, and delivery; otherwise they simply will not exist. We desire to pass this precious gift of life, given to us by our Creator, through our off spring; by continuing life from one generation to the other, we enhance and enrich our existence. This existence is threatened by a medical procedure which terminates life, known as abortion.

            During the past fifty years two factors in the Western world, namely technological advancements and feminists’ movements, heated up the issue of abortion: it has become a major factor in splitting Western society into two groups. Pro-choice is one group that supports abortion arguing that it is the individual right of the women to choose what to do with her own body. Pro-life is the second group which opposes abortion and argues that all life is sacred and considers it a form of murder[1]. Both groups are historically active in propagating their claims, especially in North America.

     The legality of abortion in the United States came after the declaration of the Supreme Court in the case of (Jane Roe) verses (Henry Wade) in 1973 which resulted in the legitimization of abortion[2]. Judges of the Supreme Court based their decision concerning abortion on medical facts which is also initiated by the Qur’an. The Qur’anic idea states that the minimal age for the fetus to live independently from the mother is six months[3]. This is mentioned in two verses of the Qur’an. The first verse states: In travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning (31:14) and the second verse sates: And we have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the child to his weaning is a period of thirty months (46:15). So the minimum that the fetus can be delivered and sustain life, without the assistance of modern technology, is six months.

        The judges of the Supreme Court divided pregnancy into three stages, each stage being three moths. In the first trimester, the woman is allowed by law to abort using all medical tools necessary. In the second trimester, abortion is allowed but must be supervised by its states laws. In the third trimester, when the fetus is six months old and over and factually a human being, abortion is not allowed by law except in cases where the mothers life is in danger. Although the Qur’an prohibits abortion, the Supreme Court allows it.

     The controversial decision by the American Supreme Court has resulted in 1.6 million abortions in the United Sates every year[4]. This waste of human life is based on the argument of a woman’s right to choose whether or not to carry on with pregnancy.

     The philosophical question that is frequently asked is “Is abortion a personal problem related to the woman or is it killing a human being?” We can not answer this question until we first consider another question: “What is the status of a human fetus from the biological point of view?” Is it a baby in which abortion becomes a killing, or is it a group of cells and tissues that when aborted becomes a surgical procedure removing unwanted tissue?” This question is hard to answer because Western scholars believe that the fetus is neither a complete human being nor is it a group of cells and tissue. We refute this idea by saying that although the fetus is not a complete human being, nevertheless it can potentially become a complete human being. If one claims that the fetus is potentially a human being and if he or she were to die, would Muslims bury it in the same manner as they bury a regular human being?” We would reply: Yes! If the fetus has reached four months gestation and was to die, the body would be enshrouded and buried[5]; our religious beliefs don’t allow us to discard it in the trash bin.

     Returning to the primary question of the legality of abortion, we say that the fetus is not a group of cells which can be discarded as easily in the same way that we discard other dead cells. Abortion is in fact a killing of human life. All religious messages condemn abortion and consider it morally wrong.

     Islam dealt with the question of abortion fourteen hundred years ago and took steps  to eradicate this immoral action. Firstly by considering any kind of abortion a form of murder of a human being except at those times when the mother’s life is in danger.     Secondly by imposing a fine, (diyah), according to the age of the fetus if an abortion took place. The accuracy of Islamic law concerning abortion is amazingly compatible with biological discoveries. However, there are more questions lingering which need detailed answers.

     Is it correct to say that the fetus is biologically part of a woman body, or is abortion considered a way for a woman to control her body? Is the decision to abort an personal decision? Can we impose on the woman a baby that she does not desire to carry? Medical science has proven that the fetus carries two genetic characteristics, that of the mother and that of the father. Considering these facts, no one can say that the fetus is solely the property of the mother and a part of her body. Obviously, the father shares part of the fetus’s characteristics. The mother carries the fetus for nine months and through delivery at which time the father – according to the Islamic theory – is obliged to financially secure the new born baby until puberty or the ability to work (for males), or the ability to marry (for females).

      The issue of abortion in Western society and the failure to solve it reflects the moral crises between man and woman in the absence of religious values. The role of physical desire before marriage, or extra-marital affairs has shaken the foundation of the family system in the society. This proves that the idea of individualism which Western thinkers want us to deem right, regardless of religious values, is a total failure. Any society that seeks a clean, responsible and natural social life can not find complete answers for social problems such as abortion without returning to religious values.