Is an abortion permissible if the couple are on the verge of divorce(talaaq)?

· 7 Rajab 1427 AH1 min readFatwa 14426English

Question

Is an abortion permissible if the couple are on the verge of divorce(talaaq)?

Assalaamu-Alaykum I am facing a very difficult situation in my life. A few years ago I married my cousin mainly due to pressure from my family. It was not something I wanted but in the end I accepted. Over time I began to suffer from depression and eventually I told my parents that I wanted to be separated from her. We had been separated for a year, though we kept contact via occasional telephone calls/text messages. Just under two months ago, her family visited our house and she came with them. Unfortunately we became intimate and now there is a chance that she may be pregnant. My feelings regarding being separated have not changed. I am very confused, and don’t know what to do. She will probably desire to keep the baby in order to try and convince me to stay with her – though I do not share this desire. My question is that, is an abortion permissible in this situation? And if so do she and I, both have to agree to it?

Answer

If your wife is conceived, it is not permissible to abort the foetus for the reasons cited by you.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Answered by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, please ask a Mufti. Report an issue

For corrections or mistakes, please email us at fatawasa786@gmail.com.

People also ask

When is abortion permissible?

“In principle, abortion is not permissible without a severe and compelling Sharʿī excuse. However, where there is a genuine danger to the mother’s life or serious harm to a breastfeeding child, there is, due to extreme necessity,…”

Camperdown · 153 fatawa from 8 Darul Iftas on this

What the Darul Iftas say