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Fatwa CenterAborting a fetus diagnosed with sickle cell disease
Question
Is it allowed to abort a pregnancy if it is detected that the genotype of the baby is SS (Sickle cell baby) inorder to prevent the pains the baby will encounter if later delivered to the world and what is the maximum month the abortion can be carried out.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
According to the preferred opinion of the scholars, it is not permissible to abort the pregnancy even if the fetus is still in the Nutfah stage. The prohibition is even more emphatic after the soul is breathed into the fetus as highlighted in Fatwa 87467.
Even if the fetus has sickle cell disease, as you mentioned, it is not a valid reason to abort it, as the doctors may be wrong in diagnosing the disease. Also, if he is really affected with the disease Allaah could heal him sooner or later.
Some scholars are of the view that it is permissible to have an abortion before the soul is breathed into the fetus when there is a sound reason for doing so. Hence, if it is confirmed that the fetus is affected with this disease and it has not reached 120 days since its conception, it is permissible to abort it according to this view. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 128586.
If the soul is breathed into the fetus it is not permissible to abort it except in two cases:
1- Fear for the life of the mother.
2- Death of the fetus in the mother's womb.
Allaah Knows best.
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