Muslim leaders differ on abortion

Muslim leaders differ on abortion

A. Junaidi
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

A proposal by 13 Muslim scholars that abortion be legalized for
pregnancy caused by rape or incest has sparked a variety of
reactions among religious leaders.

The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) rejected the suggestion on
Monday, arguing that abortion in cases of unwanted pregnancy due
to rape or incest, was still classified as the taking of a life,
jinayah or murder.

"Abortion (in case of pregnancy due to rape or incest) is
still jinayah (murder). Generally, we in MUI still consider it
haram (forbidden)," MUI's Fatwa Commission chairman Ma'ruf Amin
said on Monday.

Lily Zakiah Munir of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)'s women's wing,
however, welcomed the proposal, saying that it was in line with
the thoughts now developing within the organization.

"A law should be considered for its usefulness for the public
at large. NU usually assigns the responsibility to think about
the problem to its women's organization, as we share similar
views to the researchers," Lily said.

NU, which has around 40 million members, is the country's
largest Muslim organization.

Lily said abortion should be considered as an attempt to save
the life of rape and incest victims, both physically and
psychologically.

Thirteen Muslim scholars announced the results of their
research last week, calling for the legalization of abortion for
victims of rape and incest.

They also recommended abortion for a fetus with a potentially
life-threatening disability.

The researchers from Syarief Hidayatullah State Islamic
University, Kalijaga State Islamic University of Yogyakarta,
Allauddin State Islamic University of Makassar, South Sulawesi,
and privately-run Yarsi University argued that such unwanted
pregnancies endangered the lives of the mothers.

The organization had earlier recommended that abortion could
be conducted in an emergency situation, when the pregnancy
endangered the life of the mother. Most religious leaders here
are against abortion as it is generally considered the taking of
a life.

The researchers, however, argued that it should also encompass
victims of rape and incest as women made pregnant under those
circumstances experienced unbearable trauma, which could lead to
the death of either the mother or the baby.

"So we should consider how to help the victim physically and
mentally," Atho Muzhar, the research coordinator from Syarief
Hidayatullah University, said.

Atho said the suggestion was also aimed at protecting doctors
from legal prosecution after performing an abortion, which is
considered a criminal act under the country's Criminal Code.

He said the recommendation, if accepted, would reduce the
incidence of unsafe abortion, which is believed to have
contributed to the high mortality rate among mothers.

According to the latest data issued by the Central Statistics
Agency (BPS), the maternal mortality rate was 307 per 1,000
births, the highest among Asian countries, many of them due to
unsafe abortions.

Ma'ruf insisted that the majority of ulemas, including MUI,
still prohibit abortion.

He, however, admitted that some intellectuals would tolerate
abortion under certain tight requirements.

MUI consists of representatives of several Muslim
organizations, including the mainstream NU and Muhammadiyah.