Divergent Views on Abortion and the Period of Ensoulment
Journal Title: Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal - Year 2013, Vol 13, Issue 1
Abstract
A Muslim woman in her sixteenth week of pregnancy was informed that her ultrasound scan showed spina bifda, and laboratory results confrmed the diagnosis. Te child would have various complications and, most probably, would need medical care for life. With the consent of her husband she decided to terminate the pregnancy. Her decision sparked controversy among Muslim clerics in her community, sparking debate between those who would allow abortion for medical reasons and those who oppose abortion for any reason. Tis paper will review the philosophical and theological arguments of the pro-life and pro-choice groups as well as the Islamic perspective concerning a woman’s autonomy over her reproductive system, the sanctity of the fetus and the embryo, therapeutic abortion, and ensoulment.
Authors and Affiliations
Badawy A. B. Khitamy| National Committee for Bioethics, Oman and Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP14303
- DOI -
- Views 314
- Downloads 6
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Osteomyelitis, Osteoradionecrosis and Recurrent Ear Infections
Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Basic Life Support Among Health Students at a Saudi Women’s University
Objectives: Awareness of basic life support (BLS) is paramount to ensure the provision of essential life-saving medical care in emergency situations. Tis study aimed to measure knowledge of BLS and attitudes towards BL...
Pitting Oedema in a Patient with Lumbar Disc Herniation Case report of an unusual association
Oedema refers to the excessive accumulation of fluid within intercellular tissues as a result of disequilibrium between the capillary hydrostatic and oncotic pressure gradients. Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) commonly c...
Urinary Bladder Stone Complicating Ventriculovesical Shunt
Te standard treatment for hydrocephalus is either a ventriculoperitoneal or a ventriculo-atrial shunt. However, these conventional shunts may be associated with considerable complications and high revision rates which...
Presentation of Epilepsy in a Patient with Wilson's Disease and Developmental Venous Anomaly (Venous Angioma) in the Brain
Intracranial developmental venous anomalies (DVAs), also called venous angiomas, and Wilson's disease are both considered rare disorders with varying degrees of neurologic and systemic manifestations; yet the coexisten...