Assalaamualaikum, 

The following query is very urgent and time-sensitive regarding the permissibility of medical abortion in Islam.

My brother’s wife is 20 weeks pregnant as of recent ultrasound done on October 30, 2018.

The doctors have told us that the fetus has a very large omphalocele with abdominal organs lying in a sac outside the body cavity and the fetus also was diagnosed on the same date with limb body wall defect, a very rare defect in which the left foot is clubbed. 

It is a very unusual pregnancy as the omphalocele sac is joined to the placenta and to separate it at delivery, it would require a very big C-section and chances of severe bleeding while doing surgery in order to separate the omphalocele sac with the placenta to cut the cord and is dangerous for the mother’s life too.

The baby has his organs in a sac lying outside the abdomen, sac contains liver, intestine, bladder, stomach. The abdominal wall defect is not fixable and is a highly life-threatening surgery if done for the baby after delivery.

The parents want to do a DNC ( abortion) as to the fact that the defect is not fixable and compatible with life later on and with too many complications for the mother as well as the fetus.

Could they do an abortion at 20 weeks given the above life-threatening situation of the fetus and danger to mother’s life from the very big C-section surgery in which the doctor says that the incision for C-section would be 10 times bigger than a normal C-section and chances of danger to mother’s life while cutting the cord and doing the C-section.

This query is very time-sensitive and urgent, kindly please respond.

It is their first baby, no previous abortions or miscarriages.