Mufti Menk – Terminating a Pregnancy in an Emergency

In the case of some medical emergency, or in the case of the necessity to terminate, for example, a pregnancy, the majority of the scholars would say that up to 120 days, if there is a necessity, it is permissible to terminate that particular pregnancy. Obviously, you need to study the necessity, you need to make sure that it's not just, you know, releasing something that Allah subhanho wa Taala has placed. And the reason why we use 120 days is this Hadith, where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam explains that the life and the soul is actually blown into it at 120 days. Prior to that, even if the heart is pumping, it's just a muscle that is pumping. Even if there is movement, it's

the simple movement in the in the amniotic fluid, or the amniotic fluid, that actually is a result of the growth of that particular fetus. But the life comes in at exactly 120 days, because obviously, if the soul is blown in then there are different rulings regarding what should happen after the 120 days based on the fact that this is now a living human being within the womb of its mother.