SCOTUS Overturns Roe v. Wade

Washington, DC: The Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the right for women to get an abortion. This decision is perilous to women across the nation.

Islamic scholar and constitutional law professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes states that there are a diversity of views on abortion in Islamic law. They include: Abortion is permissible through the first 120 days of pregnancy; abortion is permissible but discouraged up to 40 (some say 80) days after conception; and abortion is prohibited unless there is a compelling reason such as risk to the life or health of the mother (an exception that exists in every Islamic legal school, regardless of the timing).

At this time, it is our collective responsibility to determine what is in the best interest of our society, or what is regarded in Islamic jurisprudence as  al Maslahah.

This decision bears larger consequences than settling a pro-life versus pro-choice debate; it is an infringement on our core Islamic values which hold the health and life of the female as a crucial factor during this decision making. The Supreme Court decision is a step towards eroding the rights of Americans to serve a religious ideology. MPAC is on the side of safeguarding a woman’s health and leaving the personal decision on abortion up to her and her doctor.

According to Nadiah Mohajir of HEART, which works on reproductive rights, “Abortion was a matter between pregnant people and their providers and the state did not get involved, religious authority did not get involved. It’s important for us to reclaim that history.”

This is the time for us to amplify the voices of our Muslim sisters and uplift their viewpoints on this issue. - MPAC