International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 1; January 2011 230 Abortion from an Islamic Ethical Point of View Dr. Serdar Demirel Assistant Professor, Department of Qur’an and Sunnah Studies, International Islamic University Malaysia E-mail: serdard22@hotmail.com Abstract Different nations interact differently with problems based on their different traditional background, interest, as well as their different approaches. But there are issues which need common perspective and the same sense of responsibility in doing good things that concern all such as induced abortion. In this article the researcher analyzed induced abortion from an Islamic ethical point of view with a particular focus on when life right begins. Key words: Abortion, ethics, Islam, life right, foetus, ensoulment, science, hadith. Introduction Abortion literally means the deliberate termination of human pregnancy, the natural expulsion of a foetus from the womb before birth. An abortion may occur spontaneously, in which case it is also called a miscarriage, or it may be brought on purposefully, in which case it is often called an induced abortion. In this paper I discussed induced abortion from an Islamic ethical point of view. This issue is quite important to humanity. The number of induced abortions performed worldwide is very high. A 2007 study published in The Lancet, one of the world's best- known and most respected general medical journals, found that the global rate of abortion was 45.6 million in 1995 and 41.6 million in 2003. 1 There is another truth related to human life due to unsafe abortion procedures. Women seeking to terminate their pregnancies sometimes resort to unsafe methods, particularly where and when access to legal abortion is barred. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 19 million unsafe abortions occur around the world annually and that 68,000 of these result in the woman's death. 2 This shows how abortion is a serious challenge to all human communities. Different nations interact differently with problems based on their different traditional backgrounds, interests, as well as their different approaches. But there are issues which need common perspective and the same sense of responsibility in doing good things that concern all such as human life. Islam recognizes the value of a human life, and believes should be protected fully. That is because Islam upholds the sanctity of life. As we know the moral and legal aspects of abortion are subject to intense social debates in many parts of the world. Some argue that abortion is morally wrong on the basis that a foetus is an innocent human being. Others reject this position by drawing a distinction between human being and human person, arguing that while the foetus is innocent and biologically human, it is not a person with a right to life. In Islam, life right begins once the spirit is blown in the foetus. But there are disputes among the scholars over when the quickening takes place. These are the issues I have highlighted in the coming pages. The Relationship between Abortion and Ethics Being a common practice, abortion is one of the most controversial issues of the modern times. It is, of course, not a new phenomenon. It has been practiced throughout history. Nevertheless, it has never been subject to as much controversy as it has been contemporarily.There are two main reasons for this: First, the human population has increased to the highest proportion in history. Parallel to the increase in the population, the practice of abortion has also increased. Bearing in mind the fact that the human population will continue increasing, it can be assumed that this problem will also exacerbate. 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion#cite_note-Worldwide-0 . Retrieved 09-11-2009. 2 Unsafe Abortion: Global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2000. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241591803.pdf . Retrieved 09-11-2009.