I am not a Muslim, but I have been reading through the Quran. I recently came across this verse, "Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin" (17:31). I am not an expert in Quranic exegesis, but it seems to me that here, in a 7th century text, you have a recognition of one of the most oft-cited justifications for abortion (economic hardship); in spite of this recognition, the text is clear that the taking of a child's life is still gravely wrong.
Discovering this passage in the Muslim scriptures was a useful reminder that abortion is not a Christian issue. It is a human issue. People of all faiths - or no faith at all - can recognize the scientific reality that life before birth is still human life. If we take seriously the defense of human rights, if we care about the well-being of our fellow human beings, then we must be scandalized by the daily killing of our brothers and sisters, the weakest, most vulnerable members of our society. And we must do something about it.
Today's image is from Leonardo Da Vinci's Studies of the Fetus in the Womb.
For those on Facebook, you might be interested in checking out this group: https://www.facebook.com/ProLifeMuslims/
ReplyDeleteAnd this article makes the cast that, in terms of politics, there is good reason for Muslims and social conservatives to work together: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2018/05/21436/.