TO
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF OBSTETRIC AND GYNAECOLOGY
Dear Sir,
Ref: THE CARE OF WOMEN REQUESTING INDUCED ABORTION:Draft
for Peer review/January 2011
We would like,on behalf of the Islamic Medical
Association in the UK, to give you a brief Muslim
medical response regarding your consultation document
on: THE CASE OF WOMEN REQUESTING INDUCED ABORTION.
We would love to give you a detailed response
regarding the different issues you have raised
in your document but unfortunately, we have just
discovered your consultation, and time is short
now in order to go into all details.
As the whole consultation is based on abortion,Please
allow us from the beginning, to make a general
commentary and to question the need for this unnecessary
medical/surgical invasive procedure :abortion?
Today we have a lot of good reasons to oppose
abortion:
*It is definetely INHUMANE,as it deliberately
KILLS an innocent human life: A NEW BABY ,who
is growing and developping normally in the womb
of his/her mother.
He/she has committed no crime to be killed...?
And is not only simple killing...but killing in
a cruel barbaric "painful" bloody way,especially
when the baby is CUT to about 20 pieces?
One is shocked today to know that many doctors
and the RCOG endorse such inhumane medical procedure,with
the help of so called"Angels of mercy":the
nurses?
Worse it is very inhumane and very uncivilised
to legalise the killing of the innocent unborn
babies up to 9 months pregnancy,if he/she is disabled
or handicapped?
Unfortunately many doctors today are moving more
towards this new "Culture of death"
of the unborn and in their support too to kill
the olds,the chronically ill and the disabled
through Assisted suicide/Euthanasia?
*Most doctors
took their Hippocratic oath before:TO PROTECT
AND SAVE EVERY HUMAN LIFE..how can they do the
opposite now and betray their oath and kill about
200 000 innocent human lives/year?
*Thus abortion
is NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD! It takes
from the child:his/her own sacred life and his/her
existence!
*Also this
act of killing is in contradiction to the :United
Nations Declaration on the RIGHTS OF THE CHILD:THE
RIGHT TO LIFE.
*Apart
from ending one human life,many women who had
abortions,do SUFFER too,Psychologically and Physically
after abortion,according to many medical studies
and as you have mentioned some of it in your document.
In Africa,Asia and in poor countries, many women
too die after the abortion ,due to poor unhygienic
conditions and lack of medical follow up,so 2
killings and 2 victims resulting from a single
abortion?
*We have
to state also that ,abortions are rising day after
day and that most abortions today are done for
social reasons,and not as such for health reasons?
*Unfortunately
abortion is becoming a big business enterprise
for many doctors :unlawful money from unjust medical/surgical
procedure based on the killing of an innocent
existent human life?
*The huge
and rising number of abortion,about 200 000/year,
is WASTING OUR PRECIOUS AND LIMITED MEDICAL
RESOURCES
in the NHS and is preventing us from treating
many real sick and ill people who suffer from
a lot of diseases like:heart,cancer,Diabetes etc...
Besides the waiting list is getting larger!
*Obviously,abortion
might be allowed in the very rare situation,when
the life of the pregnant woman is in danger if
she carries on with her pregnancy? but is better
to contain the pregnancy in hospital in this case
up to 6 months and if needed to take the baby
out to an incubator
as baby can survive after 6 months,so both lives
can be saved.
*We do
admit,there is today this serious situation :the
presence of a large number of unwanted pregnancies,especially
outside marriage..here we all need to work together
in order to make a plan so we can avoid or prevent
a lot of unwanted pregnancies(No conception),which
usually do end in abortion.
*It is
wise to go back to the best healthy safe behaviour
which is supported by our all Almighty GOD and
is endorsed by Christianity and Islam and in other
religions:Chastity/Abstinence..no sex before marriage,especially
as 2/3 of these unwanted pregnancies are because
of unhealthy risky life style:sex before marriage,
among many of our teenage girls.
Teenage pregnancy in Britain is the highest in
Europe as we all know!.
*Is very
important today to find out about the real reasons
which make some women request abortion,as some
can be addressed without the need for abortion,
like: financial help,adoption etc..
*FOR THE
BEST INTEREST OF ALL WOMEN requesting abortion
today ,we recommend strongly to offer PROPER COUNSELLING
and advice to every one but in an objective(not
subjective) manner .
Is useful to find out about the deep unknown undeclared
reasons by the woman for requesting an abortion(WHY?).
We believe most abortions will be prevented after,especially
if one offer other ALTERNATIVES and some ways
out.
*Women
who are considering abortion should be given in
details all needed and necessary INFORMATIONS
in connection of abortion in order to have FULLY
INFORMED CHOICE ,so they can take their clear
decisions after.
Informations on:the development/stages of the
baby(Embryology),methods of abortion,how abortion
is done(a film to show),side effects and complications(instant
and later),Health hazards(Physical and Psychological),Alternatives..and
to show her especially her unborn baby(Ultra sound,scan)
and to allow her listen to his/her heart beats.
We believe that the Counselling issue the fully
Informed choice and the needed Information to
give have been taken lightly in your document.
Another medical fact,over 40 medical studies in
the world,have prooved the link between some abortions
and breast cancer.
To deny all these studies,is unethical unfair
and wrong!
To say also that:"abortion is safer than
continuing a pregnancy" is quite unbelievable!?
Pregnancy is a natural physiological process while
abortion is an abnormal invasive unnecessary medical/surgical
procedure and an aggressive act on a peaceful
tranquil "healthy" baby who is NOT SICK
,and his mother, by and large ,is not sick or
seriously ill.
We like to conclude and to say that your RCOG
should make all the necessary efforts in order
to REDUCE abortion drastically/ or to be made
illegal on:
-Humane grounds
-Health grounds for the mother
And for the better use of our limited medical
resources in the NHS(doctors,medicine,theatres,hospital
beds etc...).
-Economic grounds
-Ethical grounds
-Religious grounds,especially as found in Christianity
and Islam.
Finally,it was puzzling to us,to see that most
of your Group members are biased towards abortion?
There was no voice at all in your proposed Consultation
for all the doctors in Britain( Christians,Muslims....)
who oppose abortion.
There should have been also Representatives of
all the FAITHS in your Group or to seek at least
their religious views prior to the drafting of
the Consultation,as abortion(killing an innocent
unborn baby) is very much linked to one's religious
beliefs and practices as a doctor as a nurse and
as a patient.
Yours faithfully
Dr A.Majid Katme(MBBCH,DPM)
Spokesman: Islamic Medical Association/UK
Tel: 07944 240 622
Address: 31 North Circular Road Palmers Green
London N13 5EG
NB: Please acknowledge this Muslim medical response/letter.
