Abortion allowed in Zika cases: FT mufti
> Fatwa based on decision by international Islamic NGO in Saudi Arabia
PETALING JAYA: Following the recent outbreak of the Zika virus in the country, Federal Territories (FT) Mufti Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri has issued a fatwa, or edict, which allows Muslim women to have an abortion if they have been infected with the virus.
In a posting on the mufti’s office website yesterday, he said the edict was reached based on a decision by the Islamic Juridical Council of the Muslim World League, an international Islamic NGO based in Saudi Arabia, that in 1990 had approved abortions in cases involving thalassemia, a blood disorder, even after 16 weeks of pregnancy, or 120 days.
“As the Zika virus is linked to microcephaly, a birth defect, we are of a similar opinion with the council’s view on thallasemia, that is, if a foetus is infected with the Zika virus, it would suffer from various disabilities which can affect the family’s life and that of the child.
“As such, aborting the foetus must have the consent of both parents within the first 120 days, while abortions after 120 days will depend on the conditions of the mother and foetus, in line with the council’s edict.”
Microcephaly is a birth defect where the baby’s head is much smaller than normal and is associated with other problems such as impeded development, seizures and intellectual disability.
The decision was also made following an edict issued by the Dar al-Ifta’ al- Misriyyah, an Egyptian educational institute and government body on March 14 on the Zika issue.
The edict approved the abortion of foetuses before 16 weeks of pregnancy should there be indications of the virus in the mother or defects of the foetus.
Abortion is illegal in Malaysia and is only permitted should the mother’s life is at risk. The procedure is usually carried out during the first trimester or by the 12th week of pregnancy.
The latest announcement follows two Zika cases reported in the country.
On Saturday, a local man from Sabah who had contracted the virus died following heart complications while a woman from Klang is recovering at the Sungai Buloh Hospital after contracting the virus in Singapore.