Zika: Health Ministry to meet with National Fatwa Council on abortion

The Health Ministry will be meeting with The National Fatwa Council next week to give their medical input regarding termination of pregnancy for women infected by the Zika virus.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the Cabinet has instructed the ministry to discuss the matter after taking scientific and Islamic perspectives into consideration.

It was also following the statement by the Federal Territory Mufti, Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, saying that Muslim women could abort their pregnancies if they were infected by the Zika virus to avoid adverse effect on the lives of their families or the baby itself.

"Our stand on abortion is that it is only allowed if there is a risk to the pregnant mothers. After the mufti came up with his statement, we discussed in the Cabinet meeting and there has been a suggestion that the National Fatwa Council should meet and discuss this issue and get inputs from us, the medical fraternity, before coming up with a national consensus on how to deal with this," he said at a press conference, here today.

The current law does not provide for abortion for pregnant mothers infected with Zika.

However it is only permitted if the pregnancy pose a threat to the mother's life.